Power storage device management system, storage device, server device, power storage device management method, program, and storage medium

ABSTRACT

A power storage device management system includes a storage device configured to store power storage devices that are removably mounted on an electric power device using electric power and a server device communicatively connected to the storage device. The server device includes a first storage unit storing identification information of a power storage device shared by a plurality of users among the power storage devices as storage identification information. The storage device includes a second storage unit storing the storage identification information received from the server device and a determiner configured to determine whether or not reception of the power storage device is possible on the basis of the storage identification information stored in the second storage unit when the power storage device has been received from a user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 17/267,817filed on Feb. 11, 2021, which is a Section 371 National Phase of PCTInternational application No. PCT/JP2019/036865 filed Sep. 20, 2019, theentire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-175994 andJapanese Patent Application No. 2018-175995 both filed on Sep. 20, 2018,the contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a power storage device managementsystem, a storage device, a server device, a power storage devicemanagement method, a program, and a storage medium.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, electric vehicles such as electric vehicles (EVs) andhybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which travel using electric motorsdriven with electric power supplied from batteries, have been developed.In the electric vehicles, when a battery, which is a drive source, hasrun out of power, it is necessary to charge the battery to continuesubsequent traveling.

Incidentally, some of recent electric vehicles adopt batteriesconfigured to be removable (hereinafter referred to as “removablebatteries”). When a currently mounted removable battery runs out ofpower in an electric vehicle that uses a removable battery, it ispossible to continue traveling by performing replacement with anotherremovable battery storing sufficient electric power such as a spareremovable battery whose charging is completed. Thereby, a user using anelectric vehicle adopting a removable battery can continue to use theelectric vehicle without the need for a time period other than a timeperiod required to replace the currently mounted removable battery witha spare removable battery, i.e., a charging time period required tocharge the removable battery while the electric vehicle is in use. Thatis, the user using the electric vehicle adopting the removable batterycan eliminate the time loss due to a time period required to charge theremovable battery. Thus, the development of a so-called battery sharingservice in which a removable battery is shared by a plurality of usersusing electric vehicles has been studied in recent years.

Thus, for example, technology of a shared battery management system fordriving an automobile as in Patent Document 1 has been disclosed as amechanism of a battery sharing service in an electric vehicle. PatentDocument 1 discloses a battery replacement mechanism that eliminates theneed for a time period required to charge a battery of an electricvehicle using the shared battery management system. This batteryreplacement mechanism is a mechanism for smoothly and reliablyperforming the replacement of batteries shared by a plurality ofelectric vehicles. In the battery replacement mechanism disclosed inPatent Document 1, a driver (a user) of the electric vehicle visits abattery replacement station when the battery needs to be replaced,removes the battery from the electric vehicle, and replaces the removedbattery with a charged battery charged at a battery replacement station.

Here, in the shared battery management system disclosed in PatentDocument 1, a unique IC card is attached to each battery shared by aplurality of electric vehicles. Information is written to the IC cardattached to each battery in the shared battery management systemdisclosed in Patent Document 1 while the electric vehicle is travelingand while replacement work is being performed at the battery replacementstation. Also, in the shared battery management system disclosed inPatent Document 1, the battery replacement station includes a chargingfacility and a station management device. Also, in the shared batterymanagement system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the charging facilityincludes a charging device and a controller having an IC cardreading/writing function and a charging status monitoring function.Also, in the shared battery management system disclosed in PatentDocument 1, the station management device is connected to the controllerwirelessly or through a wired cable so that communication is enabled andcommunication with the system management device via a communicationnetwork such as the Internet is further enabled. In the shared batterymanagement system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the station managementdevice transmits and receives information about the battery to and fromthe system management device at a predetermined timing. Thereby, in theshared battery management system disclosed in Patent Document 1, asystem management device accesses a battery management database withinthe system management device and collectively manages information aboutbatteries.

Incidentally, in the battery replacement mechanism using the sharedbattery management system disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is shownthat a staff member performs the battery replacement work. However, theneed for installing battery replacement stations in various places isconceivable to promote the battery sharing service. Thus, in order topromote the battery sharing service, it is desirable to implement amechanism for enabling the battery replacement to be automaticallyperformed without the intervention of a staff member waiting at thebattery replacement station, i.e., a human being other than a user usingan electric vehicle, such as the battery replacement mechanism using theshared battery management system disclosed in Patent Document 1.Therefore, in the battery replacement mechanism using the shared batterymanagement system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the followingprocessing procedure is generally conceivable as a processing procedureat the battery replacement station in consideration of a processingprocedure for automatically replacing the battery without theintervention of the staff member.

(Procedure 1): A driver (a user) of an electric vehicle removes abattery that needs to be charged from the electric vehicle at a visitedbattery replacement station. Subsequently, the driver (the user) of theelectric vehicle installs the removed battery in, for example, a batterycharger provided in the battery replacement station. Thereby, a stationmanagement device provided in the battery replacement station acquiresinformation of an IC card attached to the battery installed in thebattery charger.

(Procedure 2): The station management device transmits the acquiredinformation of the battery IC card to the system management device viathe communication network.

(Procedure 3): The system management device, which has received theinformation of the IC card transmitted from the station managementdevice, combines the received information of the IC card with theinformation of the IC card stored in the battery management database anddetermines whether or not a battery having the attached IC card to whichthe received information has been written is a battery capable of beingreplaced at the battery replacement station. The system managementdevice transmits a determination result to the station management devicevia the communication network.

(Procedure 4): The station management device, which has received thebattery determination result transmitted from the system managementdevice, replaces the battery installed in the battery charger by thedriver (the user) of the electric vehicle with a charged battery whenthe received determination result is a result indicating a batterycapable of being replaced. Thereby, the driver (the user) of theelectric vehicle can receive the charged battery after the replacement,attach (mount) the received battery to the electric vehicle, and use theelectric vehicle again, i.e., can leave a battery replacement station toresume traveling.

(Procedure 5): Also, the charging facility provided in the batteryreplacement station starts charging of the replaced battery (a batteryrunning out of power).

As described above, in the battery replacement mechanism using theshared battery management system disclosed in Patent Document 1, afterthe station management device and the system management device providedin the battery replacement station perform communication via thecommunication network and the system management device determines that abattery is a battery capable of being replaced on the basis ofinformation of the IC card attached to the battery, the driver (theuser) of the electric vehicle can use the charged battery.

Also, various technologies related to battery sharing services forelectric vehicles have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 2discloses technology related to a battery rental method of renting out abattery for an article that operates using a battery. The technologydisclosed in Patent Document 2 is technology related to a vehicle rentalsystem including a removable battery. In the technology disclosed inPatent Document 2, when a battery is rented out by a battery supplydevice placed in the same bicycle parking booth as that for an electricmotorcycle, which is an example of a vehicle that is rented out in arental system, a central processor provided in the battery supply deviceselects the battery to be rented out by operating a battery rentalprocessing means incorporated as software.

In the battery rental method disclosed in Patent Document 2, thinkingwhen the battery rental processing means incorporated as the softwarerents out a battery in accordance with the state of the battery in thebattery supply device is shown. More specifically, in Patent Document 2,a process in which the battery rental processing means rents out a fullycharged battery having a small charging count when there are a pluralityof fully charged batteries in the battery supply device and rents outany fully charged battery that remains at present when a plurality offully charged batteries are not provided in the battery supply device isdisclosed. Also, in Patent Document 2, a process in which, when no fullycharged battery is provided in the battery supply device, the batteryrental processing means rents out a battery which is close to a fullycharged battery and whose charging voltage is greater than or equal to aspecified level and does not rent out a battery whose charging voltageis less than the specific level is disclosed.

As described above, a method of renting out a battery to a user of anelectric vehicle in accordance with the state of a battery in thebattery supply device is disclosed as the battery rental methoddisclosed in Patent Document 2.

Also, as another example of a movable object in which a battery can beremovably loaded into a main body of the movable object, a portablecharging/power supply device including a battery and a charging/powersupplier formed to have an accommodation chamber for accommodating thebattery is known (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

CITATION LIST Patent Document [Patent Document 1]

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No.2011-096233

[Patent Document 2]

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. H11-259709

[Patent Document 3]

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No.2019-068552

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, a place where the battery replacement station is installed isnot always a place where a station management device and a systemmanagement device can stably perform communication via a communicationnetwork all the time. For example, in an area where a communicationnetwork is developing, it is not always possible to ensure thecommunication speed and communication connection stability required forthe station management device and the system management device tocommunicate with each other.

In the battery replacement mechanism using the shared battery managementsystem disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the communication speed andthe communication connection stability between the station managementdevice and the system management device are lowered, it is assumed thata malfunction such as a delay of information exchange (communication)between the station management device and the system management deviceand non-execution of communication will occur. That is, when the stateof communication (an environment of communication) between the stationmanagement device and the system management device deteriorates, it maybe difficult to exchange necessary information when the batteryreplacement is performed such as information of an IC card attached to abattery desired to be replaced at the battery replacement station by thedriver (the user) of the electric vehicle or a determination result ofdetermining whether or not a battery is a battery capable of beingreplaced at the battery replacement station in the system managementdevice. In this case, the battery replacement mechanism using the sharedbattery management system disclosed in Patent Document 1 may not acceptthe battery replacement desired by the driver (the user) of the electricvehicle. That is, if the communication speed and the communicationconnection stability between the station management device and thesystem management device are lowered, the battery replacement mechanismusing the shared battery management system disclosed in Patent Document1 may have to stop the battery replacement work in the battery sharingservice.

Also, when a method of renting out a removable battery in the batterysharing service is taken into account from the viewpoint of an operatorwho provides the battery sharing service, the battery rental methoddisclosed in Patent Document 2 is not always a preferable method. Thisis because general power storage batteries including removable batteriesrented out in the battery sharing service deteriorate due to iterationsof charging and discharging. Thus, the operator who provides the batterysharing service is required to perform new removable battery replacementso that a removable battery whose available discharging capacity is lessthan a specified value due to a predetermined charging count or more isnot rented out as part of the battery sharing service because of neededmaintenance.

For example, a case in which a removable battery with a small chargingcount is rented out is conceivable as in the battery rental methoddisclosed in Patent Document 2. In this case, in the battery sharingservice, deterioration states of many removable batteries can be madeuniform and a frequency of maintenance for replacing the removablebatteries can be reduced. However, in this case, during a period whenthe battery sharing service is operated, a large number of removablebatteries having a large charging count, i.e., a large number ofremovable batteries that need to be replaced, may occur at the sametime. Thus, the operator who provides the battery sharing service needsto provide a large number of new removable batteries for replacement inthe maintenance work at the same time to continue the operation of thebattery sharing service and maintenance of the battery sharing servicerequires significant costs.

On the other hand, in contrast to the battery rental method disclosed inPatent Document 2, a method of renting out a removable battery with alarge charging count is also conceivable. In this case, during a periodwhen the battery sharing service is in operation, the number ofremovable batteries with a large charging count will increase little bylittle, so that it is only necessary to perform replacement with a smallnumber of new removable batteries in the periodic maintenance work ofthe battery sharing service. Thus, because significant costs forcontinuing the operation of the battery sharing service are notrequired, the operator who provides the battery sharing service canoperate a stable battery sharing service with less uneven expenditure.However, in this case, the number of times of maintenance work(removable battery replacement work) of the battery sharing service willincrease.

As described above, in the battery sharing service, the action of theoperator who provides the battery sharing service differs according to aremovable battery rental method. For this reason, it is considereddesirable for the battery sharing service to change the removablebattery rental method according to an operation method of the operatorwho provides the battery sharing service.

However, in the battery rental method disclosed in Patent Document 2,the battery rental method is controlled by the battery rental processingmeans incorporated as software in the central processor provided in thebattery supply device. Thus, in the mechanism of the battery sharingservice using the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, it will benecessary to change the battery rental processing means itselfincorporated as software when a change to the rental method of rentingout removable batteries from the removable battery having a largestcharging count as described above is made. That is, in the mechanism ofthe battery sharing service using the technology disclosed in PatentDocument 2, it is necessary to provide a battery rental processing meansincorporated as software (develop software) according to each operationmethod for the operator of the battery sharing service.

In general, the development of software corresponding to differentspecifications, i.e., the customization of software, becomes a burden onthe developer and requires large costs. Thus, in the mechanism of thebattery sharing service using the technology disclosed in PatentDocument 2, a process of providing a battery rental processing meansaccording to each operation method for the operator of the batterysharing service will become a burden on the developer who develops thebattery supply device for use in the battery sharing service and largecosts will be required to construct the battery sharing service.

Also, in general, it is necessary to change the software to be executedby the central processor after the device or system is stopped.Therefore, even if the battery rental processing means incorporated inthe central processor provided in the battery supply device as softwarecan be changed in the mechanism of the battery sharing service using thetechnology disclosed in Patent Document 2, the battery supply device isforced to be stopped (paused) or the battery sharing service is forcedto stopped (suspended) during a period when the software is beingchanged.

Aspects of the present invention have been made on the basis of theabove-described problem recognition and an objective of the presentinvention is to provide a power storage device management system, astorage device, a server device, a power storage device managementmethod, a program, and a storage medium capable of constructing abattery sharing service in which reception of a battery is acceptedwithout being affected by a communication state.

Solution to Problem

(1) A power storage device management system (for example, a sharedbattery management system 10 or a shared battery management system 10A)according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving theabove-described objective includes: a storage device (for example, abattery replacement device 100 or a battery replacement device 100A)configured to store power storage devices (for example, removablebatteries 510) that are removably mounted on an electric power device(for example, an electric motorcycle 50) using electric power; and aserver device (for example, an operation server 200 or an operationserver 200A) communicatively connected to the storage device (forexample, via a network NW), wherein the server device includes a firststorage unit (for example, a server storage 210 or a server storage210A) storing identification information (for example, a battery ID) ofa power storage device shared by a plurality of users (for example,users of electric motorcycles 50) among the power storage devices asstorage identification information (for example, an available batterylist L or a rentable battery list B), and wherein the storage deviceincludes a second storage unit (for example, a replacement devicestorage 130 or a replacement device storage 130A) storing the storageidentification information received from the server device; and adeterminer (for example, a replacement device controller 140 or areplacement device controller 140A) configured to determine whether ornot reception of the power storage device is possible on the basis ofthe storage identification information stored in the second storage unitwhen the power storage device (for example, a used battery 510 u) hasbeen received from a user.

(2) In the above-described aspect (1), the storage device includes aprovider (for example, the replacement device controller 140 or thereplacement device controller 140A) configured to determine the storedpower storage device (for example, a charged battery 510 c) to beprovided to the user when the determiner determines that the receptionof the power storage device from the user is possible.

(3) In the above-described aspect (1) or (2), the determiner isconfigured to determine whether or not the reception of the powerstorage device is possible on the basis of the storage identificationinformation stored in the second storage unit before the reception.

(4) In any one of the above-described aspects (1) to (3), the storagedevice is configured to ask the server device about whether or not thestorage identification information has been updated at predeterminedtime intervals (for example, every three hours, every day, every fiveminutes, or the like) and receive the storage identification informationfrom the server device and store the received storage identificationinformation in the second storage unit only when the storageidentification information has been updated.

(5) In any one of the above-described aspects (2) to (4), the storageidentification information includes the order in which the stored powerstorage devices are provided and the provider is configured to determinethe stored power storage device to be provided to the user on the basisof the order when the determiner determines that the reception of thepower storage device from the user is possible.

(6) In any one of the above-described aspects (1) to (5), the serverdevice or the storage device includes a deleter (for example, a servercontroller 220A or the replacement device controller 140A) configured todelete identification information of a specific power storage devicefrom the storage identification information.

(7) In any one of the above-described aspect (5) or (6), the storagedevice includes a state acquirer (for example, an information acquirer143A) configured to acquire state information of the stored powerstorage device; and a transmitter (for example, a replacement devicecommunicator 150A) configured to transmit the state information (forexample, a battery state list S) acquired by the state acquirer to theserver device (for example, via the network NW), and the server deviceincludes a decider (for example, the server controller 220A) configuredto decide the order in which the power storage device stored in thestorage device is provided to the user on the basis of the stateinformation transmitted by the transmitter (for example, configured tocreate the rentable battery list B).

(8) In any one of the above-described aspects (5) to (7), the serverdevice is configured to decide the power storage device capable of beingprovided to the user in the storage device and the order in which thepower storage device is provided in logic according to a preset rule incorrespondence with the storage device.

(9) In any one of the above-described aspect (7) or (8), the stateinformation includes identification information (for example, thebattery ID) of the stored power storage device and at least informationof a charging count, information of a deterioration state, andinformation of a charge rate.

(10) In any one of the above-described aspects (1) to (9), thedeterminer is configured to determine that the reception of the powerstorage device received from the user is not possible whenidentification information of the received power storage device is notincluded in the storage identification information and the determiner isconfigured to determine that the reception of the power storage devicereceived from the user is possible when identification information ofthe received power storage device is included in the storageidentification information.

(11) In any one of the above-described aspects (1) to (10), the storagedevice includes a responder (for example, the replacement devicecontroller 140 or the replacement device controller 140A) configured toprohibit the stored power storage device from being provided to the useror notify the user that the reception of the power storage device is notpossible (for example, using a display 110) when the determinerdetermines that the reception of the power storage device from the useris not possible.

(12) In any one of the above-described aspects (1) to (11), the storagedevice includes a charger (for example, a charging controller 141 or acharging controller 141A) configured to charge the power storage devicereceived from the user after the stored power storage device is providedto the user.

(13) According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provideda power storage device management system (for example, a shared batterymanagement system 10A) including: a storage device (for example, abattery replacement device 100A) configured to store power storagedevices (for example, removable batteries 510) that are removablymounted on an electric power device (for example, an electric motorcycle50) using electric power; and a server device (for example, an operationserver 200A) communicatively connected to the storage device (forexample, via a network NW), wherein the storage device includes a firsttransmitter (for example, a replacement device communicator 150A)configured to transmit storage information (for example, a battery statelist S) that is information including identification information (forexample, a battery ID) of the power storage device stored in the storagedevice to the server device, and wherein the server device includes adecider (for example, a server controller 220A) configured to decideprovision information (for example, a rentable battery list B) includingthe order in which the power storage device stored in the storage deviceis provided to a user (for example, a user of the electric motorcycle50) on the basis of the storage information transmitted by the firsttransmitter; and a second transmitter (for example, a servercommunicator 230A) configured to transmit the provision informationdecided by the decider to the storage device.

(14) According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provideda storage device including: an accommodator (for example, a battery slot120) configured to accommodate power storage devices that are removablymounted on an electric power device using electric power; a secondstorage unit storing identification information of a power storagedevice shared by a plurality of users among the power storage devices asstorage identification information, the identification information ofthe power storage device being received from a server devicecommunicatively connected to the server device; and a determinerconfigured to determine whether or not reception of the power storagedevice is possible on the basis of the storage identificationinformation stored in the second storage unit when the power storagedevice has been received from a user.

(15) According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provideda server device communicatively connected to a storage device configuredto store power storage devices that are removably mounted on an electricpower device using electric power so that communication with the storagedevice is enabled, wherein the server device includes a first storageunit storing identification information of a power storage device sharedby a plurality of users among the power storage devices as storageidentification information, and wherein the server device is configuredto manage the storage identification information includingidentification information of a plurality of power storage devicescapable of being provided in the storage device.

(16) According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provideda power storage device management method that causes a computer of astorage device including an accommodator configured to accommodate powerstorage devices that are removably mounted on an electric power deviceusing electric power to perform steps of: a step of receivingidentification information of a power storage device shared by aplurality of users as storage identification information from a serverdevice communicatively connected to the server device and storing thestorage identification information; and a step of determining whether ornot reception of the power storage device is possible on the basis ofthe storage identification information that is stored when the powerstorage device has been received from a user.

(17) According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provideda program for causing a computer of a storage device including anaccommodator configured to accommodate power storage devices that areremovably mounted on an electric power device using electric power toexecute steps of: a step of receiving identification information of apower storage device shared by a plurality of users as storageidentification information from a server device communicativelyconnected to the server device and storing the storage identificationinformation; and a step of determining whether or not reception of thepower storage device is possible on the basis of the storageidentification information that is stored when the power storage devicehas been received from a user.

(18) According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provideda computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing acomputer of a storage device including an accommodator configured toaccommodate power storage devices that are removably mounted on anelectric power device using electric power to execute steps of: a stepof receiving identification information of a power storage device sharedby a plurality of users as storage identification information from aserver device communicatively connected to the server device and storingthe storage identification information; and a step of determiningwhether or not reception of the power storage device is possible on thebasis of the storage identification information that is stored when thepower storage device has been received from a user.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the above-described aspects, the server device isconfigured to store the identification information of the power storagedevice shared by the plurality of users among the power storage devicesas the storage identification information in the first storage unit andthe storage device is configured to receive the storage identificationinformation from the server device and store the received storageidentification information in the second storage unit. When the powerstorage device has been received from the user, the storage device isconfigured to determine whether or not the reception of the powerstorage device is possible on the basis of the storage identificationinformation stored in the second storage unit. Thereby, in the powerstorage device management system, the storage device can alsoindependently determine the provision of the stored power storage devicein a situation in which communication between the storage device and theserver device is not available. Thereby, the power storage devicemanagement system can construct a battery sharing service without beingaffected by the state of communication between the storage device andthe server device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a concept of a battery sharing serviceadopting a shared battery management system according to a firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of aremovable battery managed in the shared battery management system of thefirst embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a batteryreplacement device constituting the shared battery management system ofthe first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of anoperation server constituting the shared battery management system ofthe first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of a process of acquiringinformation of a removable battery capable of being replaced in abattery sharing service adopting the shared battery management system ofthe first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of a process of replacing aremovable battery in the battery sharing service adopting the sharedbattery management system of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a flow of a procedure forreplacing a removable battery in the battery sharing service adoptingthe shared battery management system of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a flow of a procedure forreplacing a removable battery in a battery sharing service adopting aconventional shared battery management system.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a concept of a battery sharing serviceadopting a shared battery management system according to a secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of aremovable battery managed in the shared battery management system of thesecond embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of abattery replacement device constituting the shared battery managementsystem of the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of anoperation server constituting the shared battery management system ofthe second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of a process of acquiringinformation of a removable battery capable of being rented out in abattery sharing service adopting the shared battery management system ofthe second embodiment

FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of a process of renting outa removable battery in the battery sharing service adopting the sharedbattery management system of the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically showing a flow of a procedure forrenting out a removable battery in the battery sharing service adoptingthe shared battery management system of the second embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically showing a flow of a procedure forrenting out a removable battery in a battery sharing service adopting aconventional shared battery management system.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a power storage device management system, a storage device,a server device, a power storage device management method, a program,and a storage medium according to the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the drawings. In the following description,a case in which a power storage device management system of the firstembodiment is a shared battery management system for managing thereception of a plurality of removable batteries shared by a plurality ofsaddle riding-type electric vehicles (hereinafter referred to as“electric motorcycles”), which are electric power devices using electricpower of a battery (hereinafter referred to as a “removable battery”)that is a power storage device configured to be removable, and managingthe provision of alternative removable batteries will be described.

(Overall Configuration)

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a concept of a so-called battery sharingservice adopting the shared battery management system according to thefirst embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a sharedbattery management system 10 of the first embodiment is configured toinclude a battery replacement device 100 and an operation server 200.Also, although one operation server 200 may be configured to correspondto a plurality of battery replacement devices 100 in the shared batterymanagement system 10 of the first embodiment, only one batteryreplacement device 100 is shown in FIG. 1. Also, in FIG. 1, an electricmotorcycle 50 using a battery sharing service adopting the sharedbattery management system 10 is shown.

The electric motorcycle 50 is an electric vehicle that travels using anelectric motor driven with electric power supplied from a removablebattery 510. Also, the electric motorcycle 50 may be a hybrid electricvehicle that travels according to driving by a combination of aremovable battery 510 and an internal combustion engine such as a dieselengine or a gasoline engine. Accordingly, the electric motorcycle 50 isan example of an electric vehicle that uses the battery sharing service.

The removable battery 510 is a cassette type power storage device (asecondary battery) that is removably mounted on the electric motorcycle50. At least one removable battery 510 is mounted on one electricmotorcycle 50. In the following description, the electric motorcycle 50will be described as an electric vehicle equipped with one removablebattery 510. The removable battery 510 is a power storage device sharedby a plurality of electric vehicles. It is possible to identify theremovable battery 510 itself using exclusively assigned identificationinformation (hereinafter referred to as a “battery ID”). Also, although,for example, the serial number of the removable battery 510, isconceivable as the battery ID, various types of battery IDs areconceivable in the present invention.

The battery replacement device 100 is a facility that is installed in aplurality of places and stores and charges one or more removablebatteries 510. Also, the battery replacement device 100 is a facilitythat executes a procedure for replacing a removable battery 510 desiredto be replaced by a user of the shared battery management system 10 (auser of the electric motorcycle 50 or the like) with a stored removablebattery 510. The battery replacement device 100 is connected to theoperation server 200 via a network NW. Here, the network NW is acommunication network such as a communication network for wirelesscommunication. Also, the network NW may be a communication network forwired communication. However, in the present invention, it is consideredthat a more significant effect can be obtained when the network NW is acommunication network for wireless communication than when the networkNW is a communication network for wired communication.

The battery replacement device 100 exchanges information with theoperation server 200 using communication via the network NW and replacesthe removable battery 510. More specifically, the battery replacementdevice 100 acquires information of the battery ID of the removablebattery 510 capable of being replaced from the operation server 200 viathe network NW. Also, the battery replacement device 100 previouslyacquires and stores an available battery list, which is created asinformation of battery IDs by the operation server 200 and in whichbattery IDs of removable batteries 510 capable of being replaced at thebattery replacement device 100 are recorded. In the available batterylist, battery IDs of removable batteries 510 capable of being shared bya plurality of users such as users of electric motorcycles 50 using thebattery sharing service are recorded. The battery ID of the removablebattery 510 recorded in the available battery list is, for example, abattery ID of a removable battery 510 approved by an operator of thebattery sharing service adopting the shared battery management system 10or a manager of the shared battery management system 10. Also, thebattery IDs of the removable batteries 510 recorded in the availablebattery list may be arranged in the order in which the batteryreplacement device 100 rents out the removable batteries 510. In otherwords, information of the order in which the battery replacement device100 rents out the removable batteries 510 may be recorded in theavailable battery list. The battery replacement device 100 can confirm abattery ID recorded in the available battery list and comprehensivelyascertain whether or not a removable battery 510 to which the battery IDis assigned is a removable battery 510 provided (shared) in the batterysharing service. In FIG. 1, the state in which an available battery listL created by the operation server 200 is acquired from the operationserver 200 via the network NW is shown. The battery replacement device100 independently determines whether or not the removable battery 510running out of power brought in by the user of the electric motorcycle50 is a removable battery 510 capable of being replaced on the basis ofinformation of the battery IDs of the removable batteries 510 includedin the available battery list L acquired from the operation server 200.When it is determined that the removable battery 510 brought in by theuser of the electric motorcycle 50 is a removable battery 510 capable ofbeing replaced, the battery replacement device 100 replaces theremovable battery 510 brought in by the user of the electric motorcycle50 with the stored removable battery 510.

In FIG. 1, an example of the configuration of the battery replacementdevice 100 is shown. In the battery replacement device 100 shown in FIG.1, a display 110 and eight battery slots 120-1 to 120-8 having acharging function are provided in a housing 101. Also, in the followingdescription, when each of the eight battery slots 120-1 to 120-8 is notdistinguished, it is simply referred to as the “battery slot 120” in astate in which the hyphen “-” and the number following the hyphen “-”are omitted.

The display 110 provided in the battery replacement device 100 is adisplay device that displays information of a notification to beprovided to the user of the electric motorcycle 50. The display 110 isconfigured to include, for example, a thin film transistor (TFT) liquidcrystal display (LCD), an organic electro luminescence (EL) display, anelectrophoretic display device using electronic ink, and the like. Thedisplay 110 displays information about the battery sharing service suchas whether the removable battery 510 can be currently replaced at thebattery replacement device 100.

The battery slots 120 provided in the battery replacement device 100include a battery slot 120 in which the removable battery 510 isaccommodated (inserted) and a battery slot 120 in which no removablebattery 510 is accommodated (inserted). Also, the battery slot 120 inwhich the removable battery 510 is accommodated includes a battery slot120 in which the removable battery 510 is being charged and a batteryslot 120 in which the charged removable battery 510 whose charging iscompleted and which is stored and waits for replacement (on standby).Also, the battery slot 120 in which no removable battery 510 isaccommodated waits for the removable battery 510 desired to be replacedto be inserted thereinto by the user of the electric motorcycle 50.

Each battery slot 120 includes a battery accommodator 120H and anopening/closing lid 120L. The battery accommodator 120H has a structurein which an opening is provided on a front surface thereof and theremovable battery 510 can be moved in and out of the batteryaccommodator 120H through the opening. A structure for performing acharging process or acquiring the battery ID of the removable battery510 when a connection with the accommodated removable battery 510 ismade is provided on a back side of the battery accommodator 120H. Theopening/closing lid 120L is a lid for opening/closing the opening on thefront surface of the battery accommodator 120H and has a structure inwhich the removable battery 510 can be moved in and out of the batteryaccommodator 120H when the opening is in an open state and the removablebattery 510 cannot be moved in and out of the battery accommodator 120Hwhen the opening is in a closed state. According to the above-describedstructure, each battery slot 120 can restrict the insertion and removalof the removable battery 510 accommodated in the battery accommodator120H by locking the opening/closing lid 120L in the closed state.

The battery accommodator 120H and the opening/closing lid 120L in thebattery slot 120-1 is shown in FIG. 1. Also, in the followingdescription, when the battery accommodator 120H and the opening/closinglid 120L of each of the eight battery slots 120-1 to 120-8 aredistinguished from each other, the hyphen “-” and a number following thehyphen “-” are shown. For example, the battery accommodator 120H of thebattery slot 120-1 is referred to as a “battery accommodator 120-1H” andthe opening/closing lid 120L of the battery slot 120-1 is referred to asan “opening/closing lid 120-1L.”

Also, the state in which the removable battery 510 is moved in and outof the battery slot 120-1 is shown in FIG. 1. Also, in the followingdescription, the removable battery 510 accommodated in the battery slot120 by the user of the electric motorcycle 50 due to power consumptionis referred to as a “used battery 510 u” and the removable battery 510whose charging is completed by the battery replacement device 100 andwhich can be moved out of the battery slot 120 by the user of theelectric motorcycle 50 is referred to as a “charged battery 510 c.”Thereby, in the following description, the state of the electric powerstored in the removable battery 510 is distinguished.

Also, the configuration of the battery replacement device 100 shown inFIG. 1 is an example and various configurations is conceivable as theconfiguration of the battery replacement device 100 in the presentinvention.

The operation server 200 is a server facility that manages a removablebattery 510 capable of being replaced at the battery replacement device100. The operation server 200 creates and stores at least an availablebattery list (an available battery list L) in which battery IDs ofremovable batteries 510 capable of being replaced at the batteryreplacement device 100 are recorded. Also, the operation server 200updates the created available battery list L. Also, for example, thecreation and update of the available battery list L and the like in theoperation server 200 are performed by a manager of the shared batterymanagement system 10 or the like operating a terminal (not shown)connected to the operation server 200. More specifically, the operationserver 200 updates the available battery list L by registering thebattery ID of the removable battery 510 to be added in the availablebattery list L when a removable battery 510 capable of being replaced atthe battery replacement device 100 is newly added through an operationof the terminal (not shown) by the manager or the like. Also, theoperation server 200 updates the available battery list L by deletingthe battery ID of a removable battery 510 to be deregistered from theavailable battery list L when the removable battery 510 that cannot bereplaced at the battery replacement device 100 due to deterioration ordestruction of the registered removable battery 510 is deregisteredaccording to an operation of the terminal (not shown) by the manager orthe like. The operation server 200 transmits the available battery listL created or updated in response to a request from the batteryreplacement device 100 to the battery replacement device 100, which hastransmitted the request, via the network NW.

Thereby, the battery replacement device 100 acquires the availablebattery list L from the operation server 200 via the network NW. Thebattery replacement device 100 performs a procedure for replacing theused battery 510 u brought in by the user of the electric motorcycle 50with the charged battery 510 c on the basis of information of thebattery ID of the removable battery 510 included in the availablebattery list L acquired from the operation server 200.

Also, the battery replacement device 100 acquires an available batterylist L from the operation server 200 in advance, for example, atpredetermined relatively long-time intervals that do not interfere withthe charging of the used battery 510 u, such as once every three hoursor once a day and stores the acquired available battery list L. Thus,the battery replacement device 100 does not need to communicate with theoperation server 200 via the network NW every time a procedure forreplacing the used battery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c isperformed. More specifically, the battery replacement device 100 doesnot acquire information of the battery ID of the removable battery 510capable of being replaced by performing communication with the operationserver 200 via the network NW every time it is determined whether theremovable battery 510 running out of power brought in by the user of theelectric motorcycle 50 is a removable battery 510 capable of beingreplaced. The battery replacement device 100 independently performs aprocedure for replacing the used battery 510 u with the charged battery510 c on the basis of the information of the battery ID of the removablebattery 510 included in the available battery list L previously acquiredfrom the operation server 200. Thus, the battery replacement device 100does not need to stop or suspend a procedure for replacing the usedbattery 510 u brought in by the user of the electric motorcycle 50 withthe charged battery 510 c even if the communication with the operationserver 200 via the network NW is interrupted or stable communicationcannot be performed. Thereby, the battery replacement device 100 cancontinue to perform the procedure for replacing the removable battery510 independently without being affected by the state of communication(an environment of communication) with the operation server 200 via thenetwork NW. In other words, the battery replacement device 100 cancontinue to provide the battery sharing service to the user of theelectric motorcycle 50.

According to the above-described configuration, in the shared batterymanagement system 10, the used battery 510 u is replaced with thecharged battery 510 c whose charging is completed and which is stored inthe battery replacement device 100 when the used battery 510 u runningout of power brought in the battery replacement device 100 by the userof the electric motorcycle 50 is a removable battery 510 capable ofbeing replaced.

Next, each component constituting the shared battery management system10 of the first embodiment will be described in more detail.

(Configuration of Removable Battery 510)

First, an example of a configuration of the removable battery 510 willbe described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of theconfiguration of the removable battery 510 managed in the shared batterymanagement system 10 of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, theremovable battery 510 includes a power storage 511, a battery managementunit (BMU) 513, and a connector 515. Also, the BMU 513 includes ameasurement sensor 512 and a storage 514.

The power storage 511 is configured to include a storage battery thatstores electric power through charging and is discharged with the storedpower. As the storage battery included in the power storage 511, forexample, a secondary battery such as a lead storage battery or alithium-ion battery, a capacitor such as an electric double layercapacitor, a composite battery in which a secondary battery and acapacitor are combined, or the like are conceivable. Also, in thepresent invention, various configurations are conceivable as theconfiguration of the power storage 511.

The measurement sensor 512 includes various types of sensors formeasuring the state of the power storage 511. The measurement sensor 512measures the voltage stored in the power storage 511 using, for example,a voltage sensor. Also, the measurement sensor 512 measures the electriccurrent flowing through the power storage 511 using, for example, acurrent sensor. Also, the measurement sensor 512 measures thetemperature at which the power storage 511 is charged or the powerstorage 511 is discharged using, for example, a temperature sensor. Themeasurement sensor 512 outputs a measured value indicating a measuredstate of the power storage 511 to a processor on the BMU 513.

The BMU 513 is a battery management unit and controls charging anddischarging of the power storage 511. The BMU 513 is configured toinclude a processor such as, for example, a central processing unit(CPU), and a memory such as, for example, a read only memory (ROM) or arandom access memory (RAM), as the storage 514. In the BMU 513, the CPUimplements a control function of the power storage 511 by reading andexecuting a program stored in the storage 514. The BMU 513 causes thestorage 514 to store information such as content of the controlperformed on the power storage 511 on the basis of the measured valueindicating the state of the power storage 511 output from themeasurement sensor 512.

The storage 514 stores information of an abnormality or a failuredetected by the BMU 513 itself, an abnormality or a failure of the powerstorage 511 ascertained using the measurement sensor 512, or the like.The storage 514 is configured to include, for example, a memory such asa ROM, a RAM, or a flash memory. Also, the storage 514 storesidentification information (hereinafter referred to as a “battery ID”)exclusively assigned to the removable battery 510. Also, the storage 514may store identification information (for example, a “user ID”) of theuser of the electric motorcycle 50 currently using the removable battery510.

The connector 515 is a connector that supplies the electric power storedin the power storage 511 to the electric motor that is the drive sourceof the electric motorcycle 50 when the removable battery 510 has beenmounted on the electric motorcycle 50. Also, the connector 515 isconnected to a structure that is connected to the removable battery 510provided on the back side of the battery accommodator 120H when theremovable battery 510 has been accommodated in the battery slot 120provided in the battery replacement device 100 and is also a connectorfor performing the transmission of information such as a battery ID thatis exchanged between the removable battery 510 and the batteryreplacement device 100 or the transmission of electric power.

(Configuration of Battery Replacement Device 100)

Subsequently, an example of a configuration of the battery replacementdevice 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing aschematic configuration of a battery replacement device 100 constitutingthe shared battery management system 10 of the first embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 3, the battery replacement device 100 includes a display110, a connector 120T, a charger 120C, a replacement device storage 130,a replacement device controller 140, and a replacement devicecommunicator 150. Also, the replacement device controller 140 includes acharging controller 141, a measurement sensor 142, an informationacquirer 143, and a processor 144.

The connector 120T is a connector having a structure that iselectrically connected to the connector 515 provided in the accommodatedremovable battery 510 in the battery slot 120 provided in the batteryreplacement device 100. In the battery replacement device 100, theconnector 120T is provided on the back side of the battery accommodator120H for each battery slot 120. Each connector 120T transmitsinformation such as a battery ID that is exchanged between the removablebattery 510 accommodated in the corresponding battery slot 120 and thereplacement device controller 140. Also, the connector 120T transmitselectric power to and from the removable battery 510. That is, theconnector 120T supplies electric power for charging to the power storage511 provided in the removable battery 510.

The charger 120C is a charger that charges the removable battery 510 inaccordance with control from the replacement device controller 140 whenthe removable battery 510 is accommodated in the battery slot 120 andthe connector 515 of the accommodated removable battery 510 and theconnector 120T are connected. The charger 120C charges the removablebattery 510 by supplying electric power to the power storage 511 of theremovable battery 510 via the connector 120T. In the battery replacementdevice 100, the charger 120C is provided for each battery slot 120.Also, the charger 120C may be configured to be connected to a powersupply (not shown) for supplying electric power to the removable battery510.

The eight battery slots 120-1 to 120-8 are provided in the batteryreplacement device 100 shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, eight connector s120T and eight chargers 120C are also provided in correspondence withthe battery slots 120. Also, in the following description, when theconnector 120T and the charger 120C corresponding to each of the eightbattery slots 120-1 to 120-8 are distinguished and represented, thehyphen “-” and the number following the hyphen “-” are shown. Forexample, the connector 120T corresponding to the battery slot 120-1 isreferred to as a “connector 120-1T” and the charger 120C correspondingto the battery slot 120-1 is referred to as a “charger 120-IC.”

The replacement device storage 130 stores various information in thebattery replacement device 100. The replacement device storage 130stores at least the available battery list L previously acquired fromthe operation server 200 via the network NW. The replacement devicestorage 130 is configured to include, for example, a memory such as aROM, a RAM, an electrically erasable programmable read only memory(EEPROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a flash memory. Also, thereplacement device storage 130 stores a program for the replacementdevice controller 140 to execute the function of the battery replacementdevice 100. Also, the replacement device storage 130 may storeinformation of whether or not the removable battery 510 has beenaccommodated in each battery slot 120 provided in the batteryreplacement device 100 and the state of the removable battery 510accommodated in each battery slot 120, i.e., information indicatingwhether the removable battery 510 is being charged or charging of theremovable battery 510 has been completed (hereinafter referred to as“battery state information”). Also, the replacement device storage 130may store identification information (hereinafter referred to as a“battery replacement device ID”) exclusively assigned to the batteryreplacement device 100.

The replacement device controller 140 controls the entire batteryreplacement device 100. The replacement device controller 140 isconfigured to include, for example, a processor such as a CPU. Thereplacement device controller 140 implements the function of the batteryreplacement device 100 by reading and executing the program stored inthe replacement device storage 130. More specifically, the replacementdevice controller 140 outputs an instruction for acquiring the availablebattery list L to the replacement device communicator 150 atpredetermined relatively long-time intervals (for example, every threehours or every day). Thereby, the replacement device communicator 150communicates with the operation server 200 via the network NW and causesthe replacement device storage 130 to store the available battery list Lacquired from the operation server 200. The replacement devicecontroller 140 performs a procedure for replacing the used battery 510 ubrought in by the user of the electric motorcycle 50 with the chargedbattery 510 c on the basis of information of the battery IDs of theremovable batteries 510 included in the available battery list L storedin the replacement device storage 130. At this time, the replacementdevice controller 140 notifies the user of the electric motorcycle 50 ofthe battery slot 120 (for example, a battery slot 120-1) in which theused battery 510 u will be accommodated through the display 110.Thereby, the user of the electric motorcycle 50 accommodates the usedbattery 510 u brought in by him or her in the battery accommodator120-1H of the battery slot 120-1 in a state in which no removablebattery 510 is accommodated. Subsequently, the replacement devicecontroller 140 may determine whether or not the used battery 510 uaccommodated in the battery accommodator 120-1H is a removable battery510 capable of being replaced on the basis of the information of thebattery IDs of the removable batteries 510 included in the availablebattery list L. When it is determined that the used battery 510 uaccommodated in the battery accommodator 120-1H is a removable battery510 capable of being replaced, the replacement device controller 140notifies the user of the electric motorcycle 50 of the battery slot 120(for example, a battery slot 120-2) in which the charged battery 510 cis accommodated through the display 110. Thereby, the user of theelectric motorcycle 50 extracts the charged battery 510 c from thebattery accommodator 120-2H of the battery slot 120-2 and replaces theremovable battery 510 with the charged battery 510 c. Subsequently, thereplacement device controller 140 charges the used battery 510 uaccommodated in the battery accommodator 120-1H. On the other hand, whenit is determined that that the used battery 510 u accommodated in thebattery accommodator 120-1H is a removable battery 510 that cannot bereplaced, the replacement device controller 140 prohibits the usedbattery 510 u from being replaced with the charged battery 510 caccommodated in the battery slot 120 (for example, the battery slot120-2). The replacement device controller 140 notifies the user of theelectric motorcycle 50 that the used battery 510 u accommodated in thebattery accommodator 120-1H is a removable battery 510 that cannot bereplaced through the display 110.

The information acquirer 143 acquires information of the removablebattery 510 accommodated in the battery slot 120. More specifically, theinformation acquirer 143 acquires the battery ID of the used battery 510u via the connector 120T when the used battery 510 u is accommodated inthe battery accommodator 120H of the battery slot 120 and the connector515 and the connector 120T are connected. The information acquirer 143outputs the acquired battery ID information to the processor 144. Also,the information acquirer 143 may cause the replacement device storage130 to store the acquired battery ID information.

The measurement sensor 142 is configured to include various types ofsensors that measure the state when the charger 120C is charging theremovable battery 510. The measurement sensor 142 is configured toinclude, for example, a voltage sensor, an electric current sensor, anda temperature sensor. When the removable battery 510 is being charged,the measurement sensor 142 measures the voltage applied to the powerstorage 511 using the voltage sensor and measures the electric currentflowing through the power storage 511 using the electric current sensor.Also, the measurement sensor 142 measures the temperature of the powerstorage 511 when the removable battery 510 is being charged using thetemperature sensor. The measurement sensor 142 outputs a measured valueindicating a measured state of the removable battery 510 to the chargingcontroller 141.

Also, the measurement sensor 142 may be configured to acquire the stateof the power storage 511 measured by the measurement sensor 512 providedin the removable battery 510 via the connector 120T. In this case, themeasurement sensor 142 outputs the measured value indicating the stateof the power storage 511 acquired from the measurement sensor 512 to thecharging controller 141.

The charging controller 141 also controls the charging of the removablebattery 510 by controlling the charger 120C in consideration of themeasured value of the removable battery 510 output from the measurementsensor 142. When the charging of the removable battery 510 has beencompleted, the charging controller 141 outputs information indicatingthat the charging has been completed to the processor 144. Also, thecharging controller 141 may output information indicating the currentstate in which the removable battery 510 is being charged to theprocessor 144. At this time, when the battery state information isstored in the replacement device storage 130, the charging controller141 may output information indicating the current state in which theremovable battery 510 is being charged to the replacement device storage130 and update the battery state information stored in the replacementdevice storage 130.

Also, the battery replacement device 100 may cause the removable battery510 to be temporarily discharged with the remaining power before theremovable battery 510 is charged. In this case, the charging controller141 also controls the discharging of the removable battery 510.

The processor 144 performs a procedure for replacing the removablebattery 510 in the battery replacement device 100. More specifically,the processor 144 combines the battery ID output from the informationacquirer 143 with the battery ID of the removable battery 510 includedin the available battery list L stored in the replacement device storage130 and determines whether or not the used battery 510 u accommodated inthe battery slot 120 is a removable battery 510 capable of beingreplaced at the battery replacement device 100.

When a result of the above-described determination indicates that theused battery 510 u is a removable battery 510 capable of being replacedat the battery replacement device 100, the processor 144 performs aprocess of replacing the used battery 510 u with the charged battery 510c and a process of charging the used battery 510 u. In the process ofreplacing the used battery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c in theprocessor 144, the charged battery 510 c to be replaced is selected andthe notification of the battery slot 120 in which the selected chargedbattery 510 c is accommodated for the user of the electric motorcycle 50is provided. At this time, when the battery state information is storedin the replacement device storage 130, the processor 144 may beconfigured to output information about whether or not the removablebattery 510 is accommodated in the battery slot 120 to the replacementdevice storage 130 and update the battery state information stored inthe replacement device storage 130. Also, in the process of charging theused battery 510 u in the processor 144, an instruction indicating thatthe used battery 510 u is to be charged is output to the chargingcontroller 141. Thereby, the charging controller 141 controls thecharger 120C in consideration of the measured value of the removablebattery 510 output from the measurement sensor 142, so that the charger120C charges the used battery 510 u.

On the other hand, when a result of the above-described determinationindicates that the used battery 510 u is a removable battery 510 thatcannot be replaced at the battery replacement device 100, the processor144 notifies the user of the electric motorcycle 50 that the usedbattery 510 u cannot be replaced.

The replacement device communicator 150 performs wireless communicationwith the operation server 200 via the network NW in response to aninstruction from the replacement device controller 140 and acquires theavailable battery list L from the operation server 200. The replacementdevice communicator 150 outputs the available battery list L acquiredfrom the operation server 200 to the replacement device storage 130 andcauses the replacement device storage 130 to store the available batterylist L.

Also, the available battery list L is not always updated every time thereplacement device communicator 150 accesses the operation server 200.Thus, when an instruction for acquiring the available battery list Lfrom the replacement device controller 140 is input, the replacementdevice communicator 150 first asks the operation server 200 aboutwhether or not the available battery list L has been updated. Thereplacement device communicator 150 may acquire the current availablebattery list L as a new available battery list L only when the availablebattery list L has been updated in the operation server 200, and causethe replacement device storage 130 to store the new available batterylist L, i.e., may update the available battery list L stored in thereplacement device storage 130.

Also, the replacement device communicator 150 may notify the replacementdevice controller 140 (more specifically, the processor 144) ofinformation indicating that the available battery list L stored in thereplacement device storage 130 has been updated. However, the processor144 determines whether or not the used battery 510 u is a removablebattery 510 capable of being replaced on the basis of the battery IDs ofthe removable batteries 510 included in the available battery list Lpreviously stored in the replacement device storage 130. Therefore,whether or not the available battery list L stored in the replacementdevice storage 130 has been updated does not affect the determination ofwhether or not the used battery 510 u is a removable battery 510 capableof being replaced in the processor 144. Accordingly, the replacementdevice communicator 150 may not necessarily output the informationindicating that the available battery list L has been updated to theprocessor 144.

(Configuration of Operation Server 200)

Next, an example of a configuration of the operation server 200 will bedescribed. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configurationof the operation server 200 constituting the shared battery managementsystem 10 of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the operationserver 200 includes a server storage 210, a server controller 220, and aserver communicator 230. Also, the server controller 220 includes aninformation acquirer 221 and a list processor 222.

The server storage 210 stores various information in the operationserver 200. The server storage 210 stores at least the available batterylist L to be transmitted to the battery replacement device 100 via thenetwork NW. The server storage 210 is configured to include, forexample, a memory such as a ROM, a RAM, an EEPROM, an HDD, or a flashmemory. Also, the server storage 210 stores a program for the servercontroller 220 to execute the function of the operation server 200.Also, the server storage 210 may store information in which the batteryreplacement device ID exclusively assigned to the battery replacementdevice 100 is associated with a version of the available battery list Ltransmitted to the battery replacement device 100.

The server controller 220 controls the entire operation server 200. Theserver controller 220 is configured to include, for example, a processorsuch as a CPU. The server controller 220 implements the function of theoperation server 200 by reading and executing the program stored in theserver storage 210. More specifically, the server controller 220 createsor updates the available battery list L recording the battery ID of theremovable battery 510 capable of being replaced at the batteryreplacement device 100 and outputs the created or updated availablebattery list L to the server storage 210 so that the server storage 210stores the created or updated available battery list L. Also, asdescribed above, for example, the creation and update of the availablebattery list L in the server controller 220 and the like are performedby the manager of the shared battery management system 10 operating aninput device (for example, a keyboard or a mouse) (not shown) on thebasis of information displayed on a display device (for example, aliquid crystal display) (not shown) of a terminal (not shown) connectedto the operation server 200. Also, the server controller 220 reads theavailable battery list L stored in the server storage 210 in response toa request from the battery replacement device 100 and outputs theavailable battery list L to the server communicator 230, so that theavailable battery list L is transmitted to the battery replacementdevice 100 via the network NW.

For example, the information acquirer 221 acquires information of abattery ID of the removable battery 510 to be included in the availablebattery list L for addition or deletion (deregistration) in response toan operation on the input device (not shown) of the terminal (not shown)connected to the operation server 200 by the manager of the sharedbattery management system 10 or the like. More specifically, theinformation acquirer 221 acquire the battery ID of the removable battery510 to be added when a removable battery 510 capable of being replacedat the battery replacement device 100 is newly added according to anoperation on the terminal (not shown) by the manager or the like. Also,the information acquirer 221 acquires the battery ID of the removablebattery 510 that cannot be replaced at the battery replacement device100 due to deterioration or destruction when the deregistration from theavailable battery list L is performed according to the operation of theterminal (not shown) by the manager or the like. Also, the informationacquirer 221 may acquire the battery ID of the removable battery 510 tobe deregistered from the available battery list L from the batteryreplacement device 100. In this case, the information acquirer 221acquires information of the battery ID of the removable battery 510 (theremovable battery 510 that has deteriorated or destructed) to bederegistered from the available battery list L transmitted by thebattery replacement device 100 via the network NW. The informationacquirer 221 outputs the acquired information of the battery ID to thelist processor 222. Also, the information acquirer 221 may cause theserver storage 210 to store the acquired information of the battery ID.

The list processor 222 processes the creation and update of theavailable battery list L. More specifically, when the battery ID of theremovable battery 510 to be added to the available battery list L hasbeen output from the information acquirer 221, the list processor 222updates the available battery list L by performing a process of creatinga new available battery list L in which the battery ID is registered anda process of adding (registering) a battery ID to the current availablebattery list L. Also, when the battery ID of the removable battery 510to be deregistered from the available battery list L has been outputfrom the information acquirer 221, the list processor 222 updates theavailable battery list L by performing a process of deleting the batteryID included (registered) in the current available battery list L. Thelist processor 222 outputs the created or updated available battery listL in the server storage 210 and causes the server storage 210 to storethe output available battery list L. Also, the battery replacementdevice 100 may be configured to perform a process of deleting thebattery ID included (registered) in the current available battery listL. In this case, the battery replacement device 100 transmits theupdated available battery list L to the operation server 200 via thenetwork NW. The information acquirer 221 acquires the updated availablebattery list L transmitted by the battery replacement device 100 andoutputs the updated available battery list L to the list processor 222.The list processor 222 outputs the updated available battery list L(which may be in the state of the available battery list L output by theinformation acquirer 221 as it is or may be further processed) output bythe information acquirer 221 to the server storage 210 and causes theserver storage 210 to store the updated available battery list L.

The server communicator 230 performs wireless communication with thereplacement device communicator 150 provided in the battery replacementdevice 100 via the network NW. The server communicator 230 transmits theavailable battery list L created or updated by the list processor 222and stored in the server storage 210 to the battery replacement device100 in response to the request of the available battery list Ltransmitted from the battery replacement device 100.

As described above, the available battery list L is not always updatedevery time there is a request from the battery replacement device 100.Thus, the battery replacement device 100 first transmits an inquiryabout whether or not the available battery list L has been updated. Whenthe battery replacement device 100 has transmitted an inquiry aboutwhether or not the available battery list L has been updated, the servercommunicator 230 notifies the server controller 220 that the inquiry hasbeen transmitted. Thereby, the server controller 220 outputs informationindicating whether or not the list processor 222 has updated theavailable battery list L to the server communicator 230 after theavailable battery list L was previously transmitted. Also, thedetermination of whether or not the available battery list L in theserver controller 220 has been updated may be performed for eachoperation server 200 on the basis of information in which the batteryreplacement device ID of the battery replacement device 100 and aversion of the transmitted available battery list L stored in the serverstorage 210 are associated. The server communicator 230 transmitsinformation indicating whether or not the available battery list Loutput from the server controller 220 has been updated to the batteryreplacement device 100 via the network NW. Subsequently, when theinformation indicating that the available battery list L has beenupdated has been transmitted to the battery replacement device 100, arequest of the available battery list L is transmitted from the batteryreplacement device 100. When the request of the available battery list Lhas been transmitted from the battery replacement device 100, the servercommunicator 230 notifies the server controller 220 that thetransmission of the available battery list L has been requested.Thereby, the server controller 220 reads the available battery list Lstored in the server storage 210 and outputs the available battery listL to the server communicator 230. The server communicator 230 transmitsthe available battery list L output from the server controller 220 tothe battery replacement device 100 via the network NW. Thereby, thebattery replacement device 100 can independently perform a procedure foracquiring the latest available battery list L and replacing the usedbattery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c on the basis of theacquired latest available battery list L.

Next, an example of a flow of a process in the shared battery managementsystem 10 of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is asequence diagram showing a flow of a process of acquiring information(an available battery list L) of the removable battery 510 capable ofbeing replaced in the battery sharing service adopting the sharedbattery management system 10 of the first embodiment. In FIG. 5, anexample of processes of the battery replacement device 100 and theoperation server 200 constituting the shared battery management system10 that provides the battery sharing service is shown. Also, FIG. 6 is asequence diagram showing a flow of a process of replacing the removablebattery 510 in the battery sharing service adopting the shared batterymanagement system 10 of the first embodiment. In FIG. 6, an example of aprocess of the battery replacement device 100 constituting the sharedbattery management system 10 that provides the battery sharing serviceis shown in association with the removable battery 510 (the used battery510 u) to be replaced and the user of the electric motorcycle 50.

First, a process in which the operation server 200 creates or updatesthe available battery list L and a process in which the batteryreplacement device 100 acquires the available battery list L will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 5. Also, in the following description,because a process from the stage before the operation of the batterysharing service is started is described, it is assumed that the sharedbattery management system 10 has not created the available battery listL at present. Also, for example, although the manager of the sharedbattery management system 10 or the like creates or updates an availablebattery list L by operating the terminal (not shown) connected to theoperation server 200 in the shared battery management system 10 asdescribed above, the creation or update of the available battery list Laccording to the operation of the manager or the like is also shown as aprocess of the operation server 200 for ease of description in thesequence diagram shown in FIG. 5.

In the stage before the operation of the battery sharing service starts,in the shared battery management system 10, the manager first operatesthe terminal (not shown) connected to the operation server 200 andcreates an available battery list L in which the removable battery 510to be rented out to the user of the electric motorcycle 50 is registered(step S101). At this time, the operation server 200 accesses theinformation acquirer 221 provided in the server controller 220 when themanager operates the terminal (not shown) and causes the informationacquirer 221 to acquire information of a battery ID of the removablebattery 510 included in the available battery list L and the listprocessor 222 provided in the server controller 220 creates a newavailable battery list L in which the battery ID of the removablebattery 510 acquired by the information acquirer 221 is registered. Theoperation server 200 stores the created available battery list L in theserver storage 210. Here, the battery IDs of a plurality of removablebatteries 510 capable of being rented out to the user of the electricmotorcycle 50 in the battery sharing service are registered in theavailable battery list L created by the list processor 222 and stored inthe server storage 210. When this available battery list L is created,the operation of the battery sharing service can be started.

Subsequently, in the operation server 200, the removable battery 510 tobe rented out to the user of the electric motorcycle 50 is added orderegistered according to the operation of the manager on the terminal(not shown) and the available battery list L is updated (step S102). Atthis time, in the operation server 200, the information acquirer 221acquires information of the battery ID of the removable battery 510 tobe included in the available battery list L or deleted from theavailable battery list L according to the operation of the manager onthe terminal (not shown) and the list processor 222 updates theavailable battery list L by registering or deregistering the battery IDof the removable battery 510 acquired by the information acquirer 221.The operation server 200 stores the updated available battery list L inthe server storage 210. Thereby, the removable battery 510 capable ofbeing rented out to the user of the electric motorcycle 50 in thebattery sharing service is changed.

Also, the process of updating the available battery list L in theoperation server 200 is performed at any timing after the removablebattery 510 to be rented out to the user of the electric motorcycle 50is added or deregistered according to the operation of the manager.Thus, the operation server 200 iterates a process of updating theavailable battery list L in step S102 at any timing.

Because the update of the available battery list L in the operationserver 200 is performed when a removable battery 510 capable of beingreplaced at the battery replacement device 100 has been newly added orwhen a registered removable battery 510 cannot be replaced at thebattery replacement device 100 due to deterioration or destructionthereof, it is considered that the update is not frequently performed.

On the other hand, in the shared battery management system 10, thebattery replacement device 100 asks the operation server 200 aboutwhether or not the available battery list L has been updated (stepS203). At this time, in the battery replacement device 100, theprocessor 144 provided in the replacement device controller 140 outputsan instruction for acquiring the available battery list L to thereplacement device communicator 150. Thereby, in the battery replacementdevice 100, the replacement device communicator 150 transmits an inquiryabout whether or not the available battery list L has been updated tothe operation server 200 via the network NW.

In response to this inquiry, the operation server 200 replies to theinquiry about whether or not the available battery list L has beenupdated (step S204). At this time, in the operation server 200, the listprocessor 222 outputs information indicating whether or not theavailable battery list L has been updated to the server communicator230. Thereby, in the operation server 200, the server communicator 230transmits the information indicating whether or not the availablebattery list L has been updated output from the list processor 222 as aresponse to the inquiry to the battery replacement device 100 via thenetwork NW.

In response to this response, the battery replacement device 100determines whether or not the available battery list L has been updated(step S205). When a result of the determination of step S205 indicatesthat the available battery list L has not been updated (“NO” in stepS205), the battery replacement device 100 moves the process to stepS409. On the other hand, when a result of the determination of step S205indicates that the available battery list L has been updated (“YES” instep S205), the battery replacement device 100 requests the operationserver 200 to provide the updated available battery list L (step S306).At this time, in the battery replacement device 100, the replacementdevice communicator 150 transmits the request of the available batterylist L to the operation server 200 via the network NW.

In response to this request, the operation server 200 transmits theavailable battery list L stored in the server storage 210 to the batteryreplacement device 100 (step S307). At this time, in the operationserver 200, the server controller 220 reads the available battery list Lstored in the server storage 210 and outputs the read available batterylist L to the server communicator 230. Thereby, in the operation server200, the server communicator 230 transmits the available battery list Loutput from the server controller 220 as the latest available batterylist L to the battery replacement device 100 via the network NW.

The battery replacement device 100 stores the available battery list Ltransmitted from the operation server 200 in the replacement devicestorage 130 (step S308). At this time, in the battery replacement device100, the replacement device communicator 150 outputs the availablebattery list L transmitted from the operation server 200 to thereplacement device storage 130 and causes the replacement device storage130 to store the available battery list L. Thereby, the batteryreplacement device 100 can independently perform a procedure forreplacing the removable battery 510 on the basis of the latest availablebattery list L transmitted from the operation server 200.

Subsequently, the battery replacement device 100 determines whether ornot a predetermined time period (for example, three hours or one day)has elapsed (step S409). When a result of the determination of step S409indicates that the predetermined time period has not elapsed (“NO” instep S409), the battery replacement device 100 iterates thedetermination of step S409 in the process. That is, the batteryreplacement device 100 waits for the process of acquiring the availablebattery list L from the operation server 200 before the predeterminedtime period elapses. On the other hand, when a result of thedetermination of step S409 indicates that the predetermined time periodhas elapsed (“YES” in step S409), the battery replacement device 100returns to step S203 and again asks the operation server 200 aboutwhether or not the available battery list L has been updated. That is,the battery replacement device 100 iterates the process of acquiring thelatest available battery list L from the operation server 200 (stepsS203 to S308).

Next, a process in which the battery replacement device 100 replaces theremovable battery 510 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. Also,a case in which a used battery 510 u brought in by the user of theelectric motorcycle 50 is replaced with a charged battery 510 c will bedescribed in the following description. Also, a case in which theavailable battery list L previously acquired from the operation server200 in the flow of the process shown in FIG. 5 is stored in thereplacement device storage 130 provided in the battery replacementdevice 100 will be described in the following description. Also,although a case in which a procedure for replacing the removable battery510 is started, for example, when the user of the electric motorcycle 50operates an input means (not shown) provided in the battery replacementdevice 100 in the shared battery management system 10 is considered, adetailed description of the operation of the user of the electricmotorcycle 50 on the battery replacement device 100 will be omitted forease of description in the following description.

The user of the electric motorcycle 50 brings the used battery 510 urunning out of power and accommodates the used battery 510 u in thebattery accommodator 120H of the battery slot 120 (step S500). Thereby,the connector 120T within the battery accommodator 120H of any batteryslot 120 provided in the battery replacement device 100 is electricallyconnected to the connector 515 of the used battery 510 u accommodated bythe user of the electric motorcycle 50. At this time, in the batteryreplacement device 100, the replacement device controller 140 starts aprocess of replacing the used battery 510 u with the charged battery 510c under an assumption that the replacement of the used battery 510 uaccommodated in the battery accommodator 120H has been requested by theuser of the electric motorcycle 50.

When the process of replacing the used battery 510 u with the chargedbattery 510 c is started at the battery replacement device 100,information of a battery ID of the used battery 510 u is first acquired(step S601). At this time, at the battery replacement device 100, theinformation acquirer 143 provided in the replacement device controller140 acquires the information of the battery ID from the storage 514provided in the used battery 510 u via the connector 120T of the batteryaccommodator 120H and the connector 515. The information acquirer 143outputs the acquired information of the battery ID to the processor 144provided in the replacement device controller 140.

When the information of the battery ID is output from the informationacquirer 143, the processor 144 provided in the replacement devicecontroller 140 determines whether or not the used battery 510 uaccommodated in the battery accommodator 120H is a removable battery 510capable of being replaced (step S602). At this time, the processor 144combines the battery ID included in the available battery list L storedin the replacement device storage 130 with the battery ID output fromthe information acquirer 143. More specifically, the processor 144 readsthe available battery list L from the replacement device storage 130 andsequentially compares battery IDs included in the read available batterylist L with the battery ID output from the information acquirer 143.

When the battery ID output from the information acquirer 143 is notincluded in the available battery list L, the processor 144 determinesthat the used battery 510 u accommodated in the battery accommodator120H is a removable battery 510 that cannot be replaced at the batteryreplacement device 100 in step S602 (“NO” in step S602). In this case,the processor 144 notifies the user of the electric motorcycle 50 thatthe used battery 510 u cannot be replaced (step S703). Also, although amethod of displaying a message indicating that the used battery 510 ucannot be replaced on the display 110 is conceivable as a method ofnotifying the user of the electric motorcycle 50 that the used battery510 u cannot be replaced, various methods are conceivable as a method ofproviding a notification to the user of the electric motorcycle 50 inthe present invention.

On the other hand, when the battery ID output from the informationacquirer 143 is included in the available battery list L, the processor144 determines that the used battery 510 u accommodated in the batteryaccommodator 120H is a removable battery 510 capable of being replacedat the battery replacement device 100 in step S602 (“YES” in step S602).In this case, the processor 144 selects a charged battery 510 c forreplacement from among the charged batteries 510 c accommodated in thebattery slots 120 different from the battery slot 120 in which the usedbattery 510 u is accommodated (step S704). Also, although a case inwhich the charged battery 510 c that has been charged at the earliesttime is selected in the process of selecting the charged battery 510 cin the processor 144 when a plurality of charged batteries 510 c areaccommodated is conceivable, various methods are conceivable as a methodof selecting the charged battery 510 c in the processor 144. Also, theprocessor 144 may cause the replacement device storage 130 to storeinformation of a battery ID of the selected charged battery 510 c.

The processor 144 notifies the user of the electric motorcycle 50 ofinformation of the selected charged battery 510 c, i.e., the batteryslot 120 in which the charged battery 510 c for replacement isaccommodated (step S705). Thereby, the user of the electric motorcycle50 extracts the charged battery 510 c accommodated in the batteryaccommodator 120H of the battery slot 120 indicated in the notification(step S800). That is, the user of the electric motorcycle 50 completesthe replacement of the removable battery 510. Thereby, the user of theelectric motorcycle 50 can mount the charged battery 510 c on theelectric motorcycle 50 and continue traveling.

At this time, the electrical connection between the connector 120Twithin the battery accommodator 120H of the battery slot 120 that isselected and indicated in the notification and the connector 515 of thecharged battery 510 c that is accommodated is disconnected. Thereby, atthe battery replacement device 100, the replacement device controller140 starts a process of charging the used battery 510 u under anassumption that the replacement of the used battery 510 u with thecharged battery 510 c by the user of the electric motorcycle 50 has beencompleted (step S906). At this time, at the battery replacement device100, the processor 144 outputs an instruction indicating that the usedbattery 510 u is to be charged to the information acquirer 143 providedin the replacement device controller 140. Thereby, the chargingcontroller 141 controls the charger 120C on the basis of a measuredvalue of the removable battery 510 output from the measurement sensor142, so that the charger 120C charges the used battery 510 u.

Also, in the present invention, various timings are conceivable as thetiming for starting charging of the used battery 510 u at the batteryreplacement device 100. For example, when a plurality of chargedbatteries 510 c are accommodated, the processor 144 may output aninstruction to the charging controller 141 so that charging is startedimmediately after the replacement of the used battery 510 u is completedor may output an instruction to the charging controller 141 so thatcharging is started when the number of charged batteries 510 c becomesless than or equal to a predetermined number.

Also, in the present invention, various methods are conceivable as amethod of controlling the charger 120C when the used battery 510 u ischarged.

Subsequently, the battery replacement device 100 is on standby in astate in which a request for replacement of the used battery 510 u fromthe user of the electric motorcycle 50 can be accepted. The batteryreplacement device 100 iterates a process of replacing the used battery510 u with the charged battery 510 c and a process of charging the usedbattery 510 u every time the user of the electric motorcycle 50 bringsthe used battery 510 u running out of power and the replacement of theused battery 510 u is requested (steps S601 to S906).

(Comparison of Operation Between Shared Battery Management System 10 andConventional Shared Battery Management System)

Here, operations of a battery sharing service adopting the sharedbattery management system 10 and a battery sharing service adopting theconventional shared battery management system will be compared. FIG. 7is a diagram schematically showing a flow of a procedure for replacingthe removable battery 510 in the battery sharing service adopting theshared battery management system 10 of the first embodiment. Also, FIG.8 is a diagram schematically showing a flow of a procedure for replacingthe removable battery 510 in the battery sharing service adopting theconventional shared battery management system.

As described above, in the shared battery management system 10, thebattery replacement device 100 performs a procedure for previouslyacquiring the available battery list L from the operation server 200connected via the network NW and replacing the used battery 510 ubrought in by the user of the electric motorcycle 50 with the chargedbattery 510 c on the basis of information of a battery ID of theremovable battery 510 included in the acquired available battery list L.(a) of FIG. 7 schematically shows the state in which the shared batterymanagement system 10 acquires the available battery list L created orupdated by the operation server 200 via the network NW. Also, in (b) ofFIG. 7, a state in which the battery replacement device 100 replaces theused battery 510 u brought in by the user P of the electric motorcycle50 with the charged battery 510 c on the basis of the acquired availablebattery list L is schematically shown.

As shown in (a) of FIG. 7, the battery replacement device 100 acquiresan available battery list L, which is used by the battery replacementdevice 100 when it is determined whether or not the used battery 510 uis a removable battery 510 capable of being replaced, in advance, forexample, at predetermined relatively long-time intervals that do notinterfere with the charging of the used battery 510 u, such as onceevery three hours or once a day, without acquiring the available batterylist L from the operation server 200 every time the determination isperformed. Thus, the battery replacement device 100 can independentlyperform a procedure for replacing the removable battery 510 withoutbeing affected by the state of wireless communication (an environment ofcommunication) between the battery replacement device 100 and theoperation server 200 via the network NW. That is, as shown in (b) ofFIG. 7, the battery replacement device 100 can independently perform theprocedure for replacing the removable battery 510 without having to stopor suspend the procedure for replacing the used battery 510 u brought inby the user P of the electric motorcycle 50 with the charged battery 510c even if wireless communication with the operation server 200 via thenetwork NW is interrupted or stable wireless communication cannot beperformed. Thus, in the battery sharing service adopting the sharedbattery management system 10, it is possible to replace the used battery510 u with the charged battery 510 c when the user P of the electricmotorcycle 50 wants to replace the used battery 510 u. Considering thatthe user P of the electric motorcycle 50 uses the battery sharingservice at a timing when it is expected that the removable battery 510will run out of power and traveling of the electric motorcycle 50 willbe difficult, the shared battery management system 10 is considered tobe significantly effective for promoting the battery sharing service.

On the other hand, in the conventional shared battery management system,communication via the network NW is performed between a stationmanagement device corresponding to the battery replacement device 100and a system management device corresponding to the operation server 200every time the user P of the electric motorcycle 50 brings the usedbattery 510 u. In (a) of FIG. 8, the state of a process in the batteryreplacement device 800, which is the station management device, and thesystem management device 900 via the network NW in the conventionalshared battery management system is schematically shown. Morespecifically, in the conventional shared battery management system, asshown in (a) of FIG. 8, the battery replacement device 800 transmitsinformation of an IC card of the used battery 510 u to the systemmanagement device 900 connected via the network NW at a timing when theused battery 510 u is replaced with the charged battery 510 c. In theconventional shared battery management system, as shown in (a) of FIG.8, the system management device 900 determines whether or not the usedbattery 510 u is a removable battery 510 capable of being replaced withthe charged battery 510 c at the battery replacement device 800 on thebasis of the information of the IC card of the used battery 510 utransmitted from the battery replacement device 800 and transmits adetermination result to the battery replacement device 800 via thenetwork NW. In the conventional shared battery management system, thebattery replacement device 800 performs the procedure for replacing theused battery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c in accordance with thedetermination result transmitted from the system management device 900.

Thus, in the conventional shared battery management system, as shown in(b) of FIG. 8, it is not possible to perform the procedure for replacingthe used battery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c when wirelesscommunication via the network NW between the battery replacement device800 and the system management device 900 is interrupted or stablewireless communication cannot be performed at a timing when the user Pof the electric motorcycle 50 has brought the used battery 510 u. Thatis, in the conventional shared battery management system, the procedurefor replacing the used battery 510 u brought in by the user P of theelectric motorcycle 50 with the charged battery 510 c has to be stoppedor suspended due to an influence of the state of a wirelesscommunication (an environment of communication) via the network NWbetween the battery replacement device 800 and the system managementdevice 900. In this case, the user P of the electric motorcycle 50 hasto wait for the wireless communication between the battery replacementdevice 800 and the system management device 900 via the network NW to berestored. This is because, considering that the user P of the electricmotorcycle 50 arrives at the current battery replacement device 800 at atiming when it is expected that the removable battery 510 will run outof power and traveling of the electric motorcycle 50 will be difficult,it is considered difficult to go to another battery replacement device800. Thus, considering that the user P of the electric motorcycle 50uses the battery sharing service for the purpose of shortening a timeperiod required to charge the removable battery 510 when the removablebattery 510 runs out of power and traveling of the electric motorcycle50 becomes difficult, the conventional shared battery management systemis considered to be significantly disadvantageous for promoting thebattery sharing service.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the sharedbattery management system 10 includes the battery replacement device 100installed in a plurality of places and configured to store and chargeone or more removable batteries 510 and the operation server 200configured to manage removable batteries 510 capable of being replacedat the battery replacement device 100. In the first embodiment, theoperation server 200 creates or updates and stores the available batterylist L recording battery IDs of removable batteries 510 with whichreplacement can be performed at the battery replacement device 100.Also, in the first embodiment, the battery replacement device 100acquires the available battery list L from the operation server 200 viathe network NW at predetermined relatively long-time intervals such asonce a day and stores the acquired available battery list L. In thefirst embodiment, the battery replacement device 100 determines whetheror not the used battery 510 u desired to be replaced by the user of theelectric motorcycle 50 is a removable battery 510 capable of beingreplaced with a charged battery 510 c whose charging is completed andwhich is stored on the basis of the stored available battery list L. Inthe first embodiment, when it is determined that the used battery 510 uis a removable battery 510 capable of being replaced, the batteryreplacement device 100 performs the procedure for replacing the usedbattery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c. Thereby, in the firstembodiment, the battery replacement device 100 is not affected by thestate of communication (an environment of communication) via the networkNW between the battery replacement device 100 and the operation server200 and can independently perform a procedure for replacing theremovable battery 510. Thereby, in the first embodiment, when the userof the electric motorcycle 50 using the battery sharing service adoptingthe shared battery management system 10 wants to replace the usedbattery 510 u, the used battery 510 u can be replaced with the chargedbattery 510 c.

Moreover, according to the first embodiment, the available battery listL used in determining whether or not the used battery 510 u is aremovable battery 510 capable of being replaced at the batteryreplacement device 100 is considered not to be frequently updated. Thus,in the first embodiment, for example, even if a period during which thecommunication between the battery replacement device 100 and theoperation server 200 via the network NW is interrupted or stablecommunication cannot be performed is a long period such as several days,the battery replacement device 100 can independently continue to performthe procedure for replacing the removable battery 510 based on thestored available battery list L. Thereby, in the first embodiment, it ispossible to continue to provide the battery sharing service to the userof the electric motorcycle 50.

Thereby, the first embodiment can contribute to the promotion of theautomated battery sharing service.

Also, in the first embodiment, an example in which the batteryreplacement device 100 and the operation server 200 constituting theshared battery management system 10 communicate with each other via thenetwork NW, which is a communication network for wireless communication,has been described. However, the communication between the batteryreplacement device 100 and the operation server 200 in the sharedbattery management system 10 is not limited to wireless communication.Even if the communication between the battery replacement device 100 andthe operation server 200 in the shared battery management system 10 iswired communication, i.e., the network NW is a communication network ofwired communication, a case in which the wired communication isinterrupted or that stable wired communication cannot be performed whenmaintenance of the operation server 200 is performed or the like is alsoconsidered. However, in the shared battery management system 10, even ifthe communication between the battery replacement device 100 and theoperation server 200 is wired communication, it is possible to similarlyconsider the above-described case by replacing the network NW with thewired communication. Accordingly, a detailed description of theprocedure for replacing the removable battery 510 in the shared batterymanagement system 10 when the communication between the batteryreplacement device 100 and the operation server 200 is wiredcommunication will be omitted.

Also, an example in which one used battery 510 u is brought in by theuser of the electric motorcycle 50 and replaced at the batteryreplacement device 100 has been described in the first embodiment.However, the number of removable batteries 510 mounted for the electricmotorcycle 50 to travel is not limited to one. That is, a case in whichthe electric motorcycle 50 is an electric vehicle that travels withelectric power supplied from a plurality of removable batteries 510 isalso conceivable. However, even if the electric motorcycle 50 is anelectric vehicle that travels in a state in which a plurality ofremovable batteries 510 are mounted thereon, it is possible to similarlyconsider a procedure for replacing the removable batteries 510. Forexample, when the electric motorcycle 50 is an electric vehicle thattravels with electric power supplied from two removable batteries 510,the user of the electric motorcycle 50 performs the operation of stepsS500 and S800 shown in FIG. 6 on each removable battery 510, i.e.,performs the operation twice, and the operation is the iteration of thesame operation. Accordingly, a detailed description of the procedure forreplacing the removable battery 510 in the electric vehicle that travelswith the electric power supplied from the plurality of removablebatteries 510 will be omitted.

Second Embodiment

Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the drawings. A power storage devicemanagement system of the second embodiment is a power storage devicemanagement system for the purpose of constructing a battery sharingservice in which a method of renting out a power storage device (aremovable battery) can be easily changed. Also, in the followingdescription, a case in which the power storage device management systemof the second embodiment is a shared battery management system formanaging the reception of a plurality of removable batteries shared byelectric power devices (electric motorcycles) using electric power of aremovable battery and managing the provision of alternative removablebatteries will be described. Also, the same reference signs are given tocomponents that are the same as those of the first embodiment describedabove and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Overall Configuration)

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a concept of a battery sharing serviceadopting the shared battery management system according to the secondembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, the sharedbattery management system 10A of the second embodiment is configured toinclude a battery replacement device 100A and an operation server 200A.Also, although one operation server 200A can be configured to correspondto a plurality of battery replacement devices 100A in the shared batterymanagement system 10A of the second embodiment, only one batteryreplacement device 100A is shown in FIG. 9. Also, an electric motorcycle50, which uses a battery sharing service adopting the shared batterymanagement system 10A, is shown in FIG. 9.

Like the battery replacement device 100 of the first embodiment, thebattery replacement device 100A is a facility that is installed in aplurality of places and stores and charges one or more removablebatteries 510. Also, like the battery replacement device 100 of thefirst embodiment, the battery replacement device 100A is a facility thatexecutes a procedure for replacing a removable battery 510 desired to bereplaced by a user of the shared battery management system 10A (a userof an electric motorcycle 50 or the like) with a stored removablebattery 510. Like the battery replacement device 100 of the firstembodiment, the battery replacement device 100A is also connected to theoperation server 200A via a network NW. Here, the network NW is acommunication network such as a communication network for wirelesscommunication. Also, the network NW may be a communication network forwired communication. However, in the present invention, it is consideredthat a more remarkable effect can be obtained when the network NW is acommunication network for wireless communication than when the networkNW is a communication network for wired communication.

The battery replacement device 100A exchanges information with theoperation server 200A using communication via the network NW andreplaces the removable battery 510. More specifically, the batteryreplacement device 100A transmits a battery state list recordinginformation about removable batteries 510 that are stored and charged tothe operation server 200A via the network NW periodically atpredetermined time intervals (for example, every 5 minutes). Also, thebattery replacement device 100A acquires (receives) a rentable batterylist recording information of removable batteries 510 capable of beingrented out and the order of rental from the operation server 200A viathe network NW periodically at predetermined time intervals (forexample, every 5 minutes).

Here, in the battery state list transmitted by the battery replacementdevice 100A to the operation server 200A, at least information of acharging count and a deterioration state of a removable battery 510 thatis stored, a charging count, a deterioration state, and the state ofcharge (for example, a proportion at which charging is completed: acharge rate) of a removable battery 510 that is charged, and the like isrecorded as information about the removable battery 510 in addition tobattery IDs of the removable batteries 510 that are stored and charged.Also, the battery state list may record identification information (abattery replacement device ID) exclusively assigned to the batteryreplacement device 100A, information of the presence or absence of afailure in the battery replacement device 100A, and the like. Also, inthe rentable battery list acquired by the battery replacement device100A from the operation server 200A, at least information of theremovable battery 510 with which rental (replacement) can be performedat the battery replacement device 100A, the order in which rental(replacement) is performed, and the like determined by the operationserver 200A on the basis of the battery state list transmitted from thebattery replacement device 100A is recorded as information of theremovable battery 510 capable of being rented out.

The battery replacement device 100A acquires a rentable battery listrecording the removable battery 510 with which rental (replacement) canbe performed at the battery replacement device 100A and the orderthereof from the operation server 200A and stores the rentable batterylist. Also, the battery replacement device 100A replaces the currentlystored rentable battery list with a newly acquired rentable battery listevery time a new rentable battery list is acquired from the operationserver 200A. That is, the battery replacement device 100A updates thestored rentable battery list at predetermined time intervals. In FIG. 9,the state in which the battery replacement device 100A transmits abattery state list S to the operation server 200A via the network NW andthe operation server 200A acquires (receives) a rentable battery list Bfrom the operation server 200A via the network NW is shown.

The battery replacement device 100A replaces a removable battery 510running out of power brought in by the user of the electric motorcycle50 with the stored removable battery 510 in accordance with informationof the removable battery 510 with which rental (replacement) can beperformed at the battery replacement device 100A and the order thereofindicated in the rentable battery list B acquired from the operationserver 200A. Also, after replacement is performed with the storedremovable battery 510, the battery replacement device 100A deletesinformation about the removable battery 510 with which replacement hasbeen performed from the stored rentable battery list B. Thereby, thebattery replacement device 100A can replace the removable battery 510running out of power brought in by the user of the electric motorcycle50 only with the removable battery 510 with which rental (replacement)can be performed included in the rentable battery list B.

An example of a configuration of the battery replacement device 100A isshown in FIG. 9. Because the components of the battery replacementdevice 100A shown in FIG. 9 are similar to the components of the batteryreplacement device 100 of the first embodiment, the same reference signsare given thereto and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Also, in FIG. 9, as in FIG. 1, the state in which the removable battery510 is moved in and out of the battery slot 120-1 is shown.

Also, the configuration of the battery replacement device 100A shown inFIG. 9 is also an example and various configurations are conceivable asthe configuration of the battery replacement device 100A in the presentinvention.

The operation server 200A is a server facility that manages theremovable battery 510 capable of being replaced at the batteryreplacement device 100A as at the battery replacement device 100 of thefirst embodiment. The operation server 200A determines a removablebattery 510 with which rental (replacement) can be performed at thebattery replacement device 100A and the order in which rental(replacement) is performed with the removable battery 510 on the basisof the battery ID, the charging count, and the deterioration state of aremovable battery 510 that is stored in the battery replacement device100A and the battery ID, the charging count, the deterioration state,and the charge rate of a charged removable battery 510 included in thebattery state list S transmitted from the battery replacement device100A. The operation server 200A creates the rentable battery list Bincluding information of a removable battery 510 with which rental(replacement) can be performed at the battery replacement device 100A,the order in which rental (replacement) is performed with the removablebattery 510, and the like.

Also, although a case in which the battery state list S transmitted bythe battery replacement device 100A to the operation server 200A is alist formatted such that information of a battery ID, a charging count,a deterioration state, and a charge rate of a removable battery 510 thatis stored is associated for each battery slot 120 provided in thebattery replacement device 100A is considered, various formats areconceivable as the format of the battery state list S in the presentinvention. Also, although a case in which the rentable battery list Bcreated by the operation server 200A and transmitted to the batteryreplacement device 100A is, for example, a list formatted such thatbattery IDs of removable batteries 510 with which rental (replacement)can be performed at the battery replacement device 100A are arranged inthe order in which rental (replacement) is performed or the like isconsidered, various formats are conceivable as the format of therentable battery list B in the present invention.

In the following description, the battery state list S transmitted bythe battery replacement device 100A to the operation server 200A will bedescribed as a list formatted such that information of the battery ID,the charging count, the deterioration state, and the charge rate of aremovable battery 510 that is stored is associated and stored for eachbattery slot 120 provided in the battery replacement device 100A. Also,the rentable battery list B created by the operation server 200A andtransmitted to the battery replacement device 100A will be described asa list formatted such that battery IDs of the removable batteries 510with which rental (replacement) can be performed at the batteryreplacement device 100A are arranged in the order in which rental(replacement) is performed.

Here, an example of thinking when the removable battery 510 with whichrental (replacement) can be performed at the battery replacement device100A and the order thereof included in the rentable battery list B aredetermined will be described. The removable battery 510 with whichrental (replacement) can be performed at the battery replacement device100A and the order in which rental (replacement) is performed with theremovable battery 510 determined by the operation server 200A can bedetermined on the basis of rules determined in various types ofthinking. That is, the logic when the battery replacement device 100Aperforms a procedure for replacing the removable battery 510 can bearbitrarily changed in the shared battery management system 10A. Also,for example, a case in which the state of the removable battery 510stored in the battery replacement device 100A and the like are takeninto account as a condition for determining the logic when the batteryreplacement device 100A performs a procedure for replacing the removablebattery 510, i.e., a condition for determining a removable battery 510with which rental (replacement) is performed and the order thereof inthe operation server 200A, is conceivable. Also, for example, variousexternal factors such as a place where the battery replacement device100A is installed, a date and time (a date, a day of the week, a timeperiod, and the like), weather, and the like are conceivable as acondition for determining a removable battery 510 with which rental(replacement) is performed and the order thereof in the operation server200A. These conditions can be changed in accordance with rules preset inthe operation server 200A. For example, the rules preset in theoperation server 200A can be sequentially changed on the basis ofthinking, an intention, or the like when the management or operation forthe removable batteries 510 is performed by the manager of the sharedbattery management system 10A or the operator of the battery sharingservice. At this time, the manager of the shared battery managementsystem 10A or the operator of the battery sharing service sets rules fordetermining a removable battery 510 with which rental (replacement) canbe performed at the battery replacement device 100A and the orderthereof in the operation server 200A by operating a terminal (not shown)connected to the operation server 200A.

For example, a case in which the battery replacement device 100A doesnot perform rental (replacement) with a removable battery 510 that isinsufficiently charged is conceivable in a battery sharing serviceadopting the shared battery management system 10A. In this case, themanager of the shared battery management system 10A or the like sets arule of the operation server 200A so that only a charged battery 510 cwhose charging is completed and which is stored in the batteryreplacement device 100A is set as a removable battery 510 with whichrental (replacement) can be performed by operating the terminal (notshown) connected to the operation server 200A. Also, for example, themanager of the shared battery management system 10A or the like sets arule in the operation server 200A so that the order in which charging iscompleted, the order in which deterioration is small, or the order inwhich deterioration is large is determined to be the order in whichrental (replacement) is performed with a charged battery 510 c in thebattery replacement device 100A by operating the terminal (not shown).Here, when the manager of the shared battery management system 10A orthe like sets a rule in the operation server 200A so that the order inwhich charging is completed is determined to be the order in whichrental (replacement) is performed with a charged battery 510 c in thebattery replacement device 100A, the charged batteries 510 c are rentedout to the users of the electric motorcycles 50 sequentially from acharged battery 510 c whose charging is completed at the earliest timein the battery sharing service adopting the shared battery managementsystem 10A. Thereby, in the battery sharing service adopting the sharedbattery management system 10A, it is possible to stably perform rental(replacement) only with the charged battery 510 c. Also, when themanager of the shared battery management system 10A or the like sets arule in the operation server 200A so that the order in whichdeterioration is small is determined to be the order in which rental(replacement) is performed with a charged battery 510 c in the batteryreplacement device 100A, deterioration states of many removablebatteries 510 with which rental (replacement) is performed can be madeuniform in the battery sharing service adopting the shared batterymanagement system 10A. Thereby, in the battery sharing service adoptingthe shared battery management system 10A, a frequency of maintenance ofthe battery sharing service for replacing the deteriorated removablebattery 510 can be reduced and the manager of the shared batterymanagement system 10A or the operator of the battery sharing service caneasily perform maintenance work such as simultaneous replacement of allthe removable batteries 510. Also, when the manager of the sharedbattery management system 10A or the like sets a rule in the operationserver 200A so that the order in which deterioration is large isdetermined to be the order in which rental (replacement) is performedwith a charged battery 510 c in the battery replacement device 100A, itis possible to prevent many removable batteries 510 to be rented out(replaced) from deteriorating at the same time in the battery sharingservice adopting the shared battery management system 10A. Thereby, inthe battery sharing service adopting the shared battery managementsystem 10A, a frequency of maintenance of the battery sharing servicefor replacing the deteriorated removable battery 510 can be averaged andthe manager of the shared battery management system 10A or the operatorof the battery sharing service can reduce the number of removablebatteries 510 to be replaced in maintenance work at one time.

Also, for example, in the battery sharing service adopting the sharedbattery management system 10A, a case in which the battery replacementdevice 100A can rent out (replace) the removable batteries 510 for moreusers (users) of the electric motorcycle 50 is also conceivable. In thiscase, for example, the manager of the shared battery management system10A or the like predetermines a threshold value of the charge rate as arental criterion for determining (considering) the removable battery 510with which rental (replacement) can be performed at the batteryreplacement device 100A. The manager of the shared battery managementsystem 10A or the like sets a rule of the operation server 200A so thata removable battery 510 whose charge rate is greater than or equal to apredetermined proportion (whose charge rate is greater than or equal to90%) is considered to be a charged battery 510 c and is set as aremovable battery 510 with which rental (replacement) can be performedby operating the terminal (not shown) connected to the operation server200A. Also, for example, the manager of the shared battery managementsystem 10A or the like sets a rule in the operation server 200A so thatdescending order of charge rates is determined to be the order in whichrental (replacement) is performed with a removable battery 510considered to be the charged battery 510 c in the battery replacementdevice 100A by operating the terminal (not shown). Thereby, in thebattery sharing service adopting the shared battery management system10A, it is possible to rent out (replace) the removable batteries 510for more users of the electric motorcycles 50, for example, when it isexpected that the removable batteries 510 will be frequently rented out(replaced) such as when a place where the battery replacement device100A is installed is a tourist spot, when the weather is sunny, when aday of the week is a weekend, or when a time period is the morning.

As described above, in the shared battery management system 10A, themanager of the shared battery management system 10A or the like can alsoarbitrarily change the logic when a procedure for replacing theremovable battery 510 is performed in the same battery replacementdevice 100A by operating the terminal (not shown) and setting a rule inthe operation server 200A. Also, although a method in which the managerof the shared battery management system 10A or the like sets rules inthe operation server 200A by operating the terminal (not shown) has beendescribed above, the server controller 220A within the operation server200A may be configured to automatically perform the setting of the ruleof the operation server 200A based on a condition in which adetermination can be mechanically performed, for example, when the dayof the week is the weekend, when the time period is the morning, or thelike. Also, in the following description, for ease of description, theremovable battery 510 charged at a predetermined proportion (chargerate) or more to be considered to be the charged battery 510 c will alsobe referred to as a “charged battery 510 c.”

The operation server 200A transmits the created rentable battery list Bto the battery replacement device 100A that has transmitted the batterystate list S via the network NW. Thereby, the battery replacement device100A acquires the rentable battery list B from the operation server 200Avia the network NW. The battery replacement device 100A performs aprocedure for replacing removable batteries 510 in the order of batteryIDs included in the rentable battery list B acquired from the operationserver 200A, i.e., in the order of charged batteries 510 c indicated inthe rentable battery list B.

Also, the rentable battery list B transmitted by the operation server200A to the battery replacement device 100A may not necessarily includethe battery IDs of all the removable batteries 510 included in thebattery state list S transmitted from the battery replacement device100A. That is, in the shared battery management system 10A, a removablebattery 510 whose battery ID is not included in the rentable batterylist B is a removable battery 510 that cannot be rented out at thebattery replacement device 100A. Therefore, when a removable battery510, which has been charged a predetermined number of times or more(which has a predetermined charging count or more), i.e., which hasdeteriorated, included in the battery state list S transmitted from thebattery replacement device 100A has been found, the operation server200A may not include the removable battery 510 as a removable battery510 with which rental (replacement) is not performed in the batterysharing service in the rentable battery list B. That is, the operationserver 200A may not intentionally include a deteriorated removablebattery 510 as a removable battery 510 with which replacement isperformed in the maintenance of the battery sharing service in therentable battery list B. In this case, the operation server 200A may beconfigured to notify the manager of the shared battery management system10A, the operator of the battery sharing service, or the like that thereis a removable battery 510 that is intentionally not included in therentable battery list B.

Also, for example, a case in which the management of the deteriorationof each removable battery 510 in the operation server 200A can beperformed by counting the charging count of the removable battery 510from the time when the new removable battery 510 for rental(replacement) is added in the battery sharing service is conceivable.Here, if information about the charging count is output from theremovable battery 510, the operation server 200A may manage thedeterioration of the removable battery 510 on the basis of the chargingcount counted by the removable battery 510 itself. Also, if theoperation server 200A registers and manages the removable battery 510for the operation in the battery sharing service, the operation server200A may count the charging count of the removable battery 510 andmanage the deterioration of the removable battery 510 on the basis ofinformation about a battery ID and the state of charge of the removablebattery 510 included in the battery state list S transmitted from thebattery replacement device 100A. However, in the present invention,various methods are conceivable as a method of counting the chargingcount of the removable battery 510 and a method of managing thedeterioration of the removable battery 510 in the operation server 200A.

According to the above-described configuration, the shared batterymanagement system 10A performs rental (replacement) with a chargedbattery 510 c to be used instead of a used battery 510 u running out ofpower brought in the battery replacement device 100A by the user of theelectric motorcycle 50 in the logic according to the rules set in theoperation server 200A by the manager of the shared battery managementsystem 10A, the operator of the battery sharing service, or the like. Atthis time, the battery replacement device 100A performs a procedure forreplacing the used battery 510 u brought in by the user of the electricmotorcycle 50 with the charged battery 510 c in the order of the batteryIDs included in the rentable battery list B acquired from the operationserver 200A previously (for example, a maximum of 5 minutes ago).

Also, in the case of a configuration in which one operation server 200Acorresponds to a plurality of battery replacement devices 100A in theshared battery management system 10A, the manager of the shared batterymanagement system 10A or the like can set a rule when a removablebattery 510 with which rental (replacement) can be performed at thebattery replacement device 100A and the order thereof are determined inthe operation server 200A for each battery replacement device 100A. Thatis, in the shared battery management system 10A including the pluralityof battery replacement devices 100A, the manager of the shared batterymanagement system 10A or the like can set a rule for creating a rentablebattery list B in the operation server 200A for each battery replacementdevice 100A. Thereby, in the shared battery management system 10Aincluding the plurality of battery replacement devices 100A, theoperation server 200A creates the rentable battery list B correspondingto each battery replacement device 100A and transmits the createdrentable battery list B. In the shared battery management system 10Aincluding the plurality of battery replacement devices 100A, eachbattery replacement device 100A previously acquires the correspondingrentable battery list B from the operation server 200A and performs aprocedure for renting out a stored charged battery 510 c (replacing theused battery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c) on the basis of theacquired rentable battery list B. Also, in the shared battery managementsystem 10A including a plurality of battery replacement devices 100A,the rule when a removable battery 510 with which rental (replacement)can be performed at the battery replacement device 100A and the orderthereof are determined set in the operation server 200A by the managerof the shared battery management system 10A or the like may be the sameor different with respect to all battery replacement devices 100A. Thatis, in the shared battery management system 10A including a plurality ofbattery replacement devices 100A, the logic when the procedure forreplacing the used battery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c can bemade different for each battery replacement device 100A. For example, acertain battery replacement device 100A can perform rental (replacement)with only a charged battery 510 c whose charging is completed at acharge rate of 100% and which is stored and another battery replacementdevice 100A can perform rental (replacement) with a charged battery 510c having a charge rate of 90% or more.

Also, as described above, the battery replacement device 100A acquiresthe rentable battery list B from the operation server 200A in advance atpredetermined time intervals such as every 5 minutes and stores theacquired rentable battery list B. Thus, the battery replacement device100A does not need to communicate with the operation server 200A via thenetwork NW every time a procedure for replacing the used battery 510 uwith the charged battery 510 c is performed. More specifically, thebattery replacement device 100A does not acquire information indicatinga charged battery 510 c with which rental (replacement) is performed byperforming communication with the operation server 200A via the networkNW every time rental (replacement) is performed with the charged battery510 c to be used instead of the used battery 510 u running out of powerbrought in by the user of the electric motorcycle 50. The batteryreplacement device 100A performs rental (replacement) with the chargedbatteries 510 c in the order indicated in the rentable battery list Bpreviously acquired from the operation server 200A. That is, the batteryreplacement device 100A independently performs the procedure forreplacing the used battery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c on thebasis of the rentable battery list B previously acquired from theoperation server 200A. Therefore, in the battery replacement device100A, for example, even if the communication with the operation server200A via the network NW is interrupted or stable communication cannot beperformed, it is possible to replace at least the used battery 510 ubrought in by the user of the electric motorcycle 50 with the chargedbattery 510 c whose battery ID is included in the rentable battery listB. That is, even if the state of communication (an environment ofcommunication) with the operation server 200A via the network NWdeteriorates, the battery replacement device 100A can independentlycontinue to perform a procedure for replacing the removable battery 510without stopping or suspending the procedure for replacing the removablebattery 510 due to the influence of the communication state (thecommunication environment) for a while. In other words, the batteryreplacement device 100A can continue to provide the battery sharingservice to the user of the electric motorcycle 50 without being affectedby short-time deterioration of the state of communication (theenvironment of communication) between the battery replacement device100A and the operation server 200A.

According to the above-described configuration, in the shared batterymanagement system 10A, rental (replacement) is performed with a chargedbattery 510 c to be used instead of the used battery 510 u running outof power brought in the battery replacement device 100A by the user ofthe electric motorcycle 50 in the order determined in the logicaccording to a predetermined rule.

Next, each component constituting the shared battery management system10A of the second embodiment will be described in more detail.

(Configuration of Removable Battery 510)

First, an example of a configuration of the removable battery 510 willbe described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the example of theconfiguration of the removable battery 510 managed in the shared batterymanagement system 10A of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, theremovable battery 510 has a battery management unit (BMU) 513A insteadof the BMU 513 in the removable battery 510 that is rented out(replaced) at the battery replacement device 100 in the shared batterymanagement system 10 of the first embodiment, a connector 515A insteadof the connector 515, and a storage 514A instead of the storage 514.

The measurement sensor 512 outputs a measured value indicating ameasured state of the power storage 511 to the processor on the BMU513A.

The BMU 513A is a battery management unit similar to the BMU 513provided in the removable battery 510 in the shared battery managementsystem 10 of the first embodiment and controls charging and dischargingof the power storage 511. The BMU 513A is configured to include aprocessor such as, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), and amemory such as, for example, a read only memory (ROM) or a random accessmemory (RAM), as the storage 514A. In the BMU 513A, the CPU implements acontrol function of the power storage 511 by reading and executing aprogram stored in the storage 514A. The BMU 513A causes the storage 514Ato store information such as content of the control performed on thepower storage 511 on the basis of the measured value indicating thestate of the power storage 511 output from the measurement sensor 512.Also, the BMU 513A may count a charging count of the power storage 511and cause the storage 514A to store the counted charging count inaddition to the function of the BMU 513 provided in the removablebattery 510 in the shared battery management system 10 of the firstembodiment. Further, the BMU 513A may calculate the charge rate of thepower storage 511 on the basis of a measured value indicating the stateof the power storage 511 output from the measurement sensor 512.

Like the storage 514 provided in the removable battery 510 in the sharedbattery management system 10 of the first embodiment, the storage 514Astores information of an abnormality or a failure detected by the BMU513A itself, an abnormality or a failure of the power storage 511ascertained using the measurement sensor 512, or the like. The storage514A is configured to include, for example, a memory such as a ROM, aRAM, or a flash memory. Also, the storage 514A stores information of abattery ID exclusively assigned to the removable battery 510, a chargingcount of the power storage 511, and the like. Here, information of thecharging count stored in the storage 514A is updated (i.e., incremented)when the BMU 513A adds “1” to the charging count when the charging ofthe power storage 511 is started or when the charging of the powerstorage 511 is completed. Also, the storage 514A may storeidentification information (for example, a “user ID”) of the user of theelectric motorcycle 50 currently using the removable battery 510.

Like the connector 515 provided in the removable battery 510 in theshared battery management system 10 of the first embodiment, theconnector 515A is a connector that supplies the electric power stored inthe power storage 511 to the electric motor that is the drive source ofthe electric motorcycle 50 when the removable battery 510 has beenmounted on the electric motorcycle 50. Also, the connector 515A isconnected to a structure that is connected to the removable battery 510provided on the back side of the battery accommodator 120H when theremovable battery 510 has been accommodated in the battery slot 120provided in the battery replacement device 100A and is also a connectorfor performing the transmission of information such as a battery ID, acharging count, and a measured value indicating the state of the powerstorage 511 that are exchanged between the removable battery 510 and thebattery replacement device 100A or the transmission of electric power.

(Configuration of Battery Replacement Device 100A)

Subsequently, an example of a configuration of the battery replacementdevice 100A will be described. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing aschematic configuration of the battery replacement device 100Aconstituting the shared battery management system 10A of the secondembodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the battery replacement device 100Aincludes a display 110, a connector 120T, a charger 120C, a replacementdevice storage 130A, a replacement device controller 140A, and areplacement device communicator 150A. Also, the replacement devicecontroller 140A includes a charging controller 141A, a measurementsensor 142, an information acquirer 143A, and a processor 144A.

The replacement device storage 130A stores various information in thebattery replacement device 100A like the replacement device storage 130provided in the battery replacement device 100A in the shared batterymanagement system 10 of the first embodiment. The replacement devicestorage 130A stores at least the rentable battery list B previouslyacquired from the operation server 200A via the network NW. Thereplacement device storage 130A is configured to include, for example, amemory such as a ROM, a RAM, an electrically erasable programmable readonly memory (EEPROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a flash memory. Also,the replacement device storage 130A stores a program for the replacementdevice controller 140A to execute the function of the batteryreplacement device 100A. Also, the replacement device storage 130A maystore information of whether or not the removable battery 510 has beenaccommodated in each battery slot 120 provided in the batteryreplacement device 100A or information (hereinafter referred to as“battery state information”) of a battery ID, a charging count, adeterioration state of the removable battery 510 accommodated in eachbattery slot 120, a measured value indicating the state of the powerstorage 511, and the like. Also, the replacement device storage 130A mayalso store information indicating the state of charge such as a chargerate of each removable battery 510 as the battery state information.Also, the replacement device storage 130A may store identificationinformation (a battery replacement device ID) exclusively assigned tothe battery replacement device 100A.

The replacement device controller 140A controls the entire batteryreplacement device 100A like the replacement device controller 140provided in the battery replacement device 100A in the shared batterymanagement system 10 of the first embodiment. The replacement devicecontroller 140A is configured to include, for example, a processor suchas a CPU. The replacement device controller 140A implements the functionof the battery replacement device 100A by reading and executing theprogram stored in the replacement device storage 130A. Morespecifically, the replacement device controller 140A acquiresinformation (battery state information) of a battery ID, a chargingcount, and a deterioration state of the removable battery 510accommodated in each battery slot 120, a measured value indicating thestate of the power storage 511, and the like periodically atpredetermined time intervals (for example, every 5 minutes). Thereplacement device controller 140A calculates the charge rate of thepower storage 511, i.e., the charge rate of the removable battery 510,on the basis of the acquired measured value representing the state ofthe power storage 511. When the removable battery 510 itself calculatesthe charge rate, the replacement device controller 140A may acquireinformation indicating the state of charge such as a charge rate of theremovable battery 510 accommodated in each battery slot 120 as thebattery state information periodically at predetermined time intervals(for example, every 5 minutes). The replacement device controller 140Aoutputs the acquired battery state information of each removable battery510 and the calculated (or acquired) information of the charge rate tothe replacement device communicator 150A and outputs an instruction fortransmitting the output information as the battery state list S to thereplacement device communicator 150A. Thereby, the replacement devicecommunicator 150A communicates with the operation server 200A via thenetwork NW and transmits the battery state list S including the batterystate information output by the replacement device controller 140A tothe operation server 200A.

Also, when the rentable battery list B transmitted from the operationserver 200A is output from the replacement device communicator 150A, thereplacement device controller 140A causes the replacement device storage130A to store the rentable battery list B acquired from the operationserver 200A. Subsequently, the replacement device controller 140Aperforms a procedure for replacing the used battery 510 u brought in bythe user of the electric motorcycle 50 with the charged battery 510 c onthe basis of the order of the battery IDs included in the rentablebattery list B stored in the replacement device storage 130A. At thistime, the replacement device controller 140A notifies the user of theelectric motorcycle 50 of the battery slot 120 (for example, a batteryslot 120-1) in which the used battery 510 u will be accommodated throughthe display 110. Thereby, the user of the electric motorcycle 50accommodates the used battery 510 u that has been brought in by the userof the electric motorcycle 50 in the battery accommodator 120-1H of thebattery slot 120-1 in a state in which the removable battery 510 is notaccommodated. Subsequently, the replacement device controller 140Adetermines whether or not the used battery 510 u accommodated in thebattery accommodator 120-1H is a removable battery 510 capable of beingreplaced on the basis of the information of the battery IDs of theremovable batteries 510 included in the rentable battery list B. When itis determined that the used battery 510 u accommodated in the batteryaccommodator 120-1H is a removable battery 510 capable of beingreplaced, the replacement device controller 140A selects a chargedbattery 510 c on the basis of the order of the battery IDs of theremovable batteries 510 included in the rentable battery list B andnotifies the user of the electric motorcycle 50 of the battery slot 120(for example, a battery slot 120-2) in which the selected chargedbattery 510 c is accommodated through the display 110. Thereby, the userof the electric motorcycle 50 extracts the charged battery 510 c fromthe battery accommodator 120-2H of the battery slot 120-2 and replacesthe removable battery 510. Subsequently, the replacement devicecontroller 140A charges the used battery 510 u accommodated in thebattery accommodator 120-1H. On the other hand, when it is determinedthat the used battery 510 u accommodated in the battery accommodator120-1H is a removable battery 510 that cannot be replaced, thereplacement device controller 140A prohibits replacement from beingperformed with the charged battery 510 c accommodated in the batteryslot 120 (for example, the battery slot 120-2). The replacement devicecontroller 140A notifies the user of the electric motorcycle 50 that theused battery 510 u accommodated in the battery accommodator 120-1H is aremovable battery 510 that cannot be replaced through the display 110.

Like the information acquirer 143 provided in the battery replacementdevice 100A in the shared battery management system 10 of the firstembodiment, the information acquirer 143A acquires information of theremovable battery 510 accommodated in the battery slot 120, i.e., theremovable battery 510 stored in the battery replacement device 100A.More specifically, the information acquirer 143A acquires battery stateinformation (information of a battery ID, a charging count, a measuredvalue indicating the state of the power storage 511, and the like) ofthe removable battery 510 which is accommodated in the batteryaccommodator 120H of the battery slot 120 and in which the connector515A and the connector 120T are connected via the connector 120Tperiodically at predetermined time intervals (for example, every 5minutes). The information acquirer 143A outputs the acquired batterystate information to the processor 144A. Also, the information acquirer143A may cause the replacement device storage 130A to store the acquiredbattery state information.

The measurement sensor 142 outputs the measured value indicating themeasured state of the removable battery 510 to the charging controller141A.

Also, in the replacement device controller 140A, the informationacquirer 143A acquires the measured value indicating the state of thepower storage 511 measured by the measurement sensor 512 provided in theremovable battery 510 as the battery state information via the connector120T. Thus, the measurement sensor 142 may be configured to output themeasured value indicating the state of the power storage 511 acquired bythe information acquirer 143A to the charging controller 141A.

Like the charging controller 141 provided in the battery replacementdevice 100A in the shared battery management system 10 of the firstembodiment, the charging controller 141A controls the charging of theremovable battery 510 by controlling the charger 120C in considerationof the measured value of the removable battery 510 output from themeasurement sensor 142. Also, the charging controller 141A calculates acurrent charge rate of the removable battery 510 that is charged, i.e.,a current charge rate of the power storage 511 provided in the removablebattery 510, on the basis of the measured value of the removable battery510 output from the measurement sensor 142. The charging controller 141Aoutputs the calculated charge rate of the removable battery 510 to theprocessor 144A. Also, like the charging controller 141 provided in thebattery replacement device 100A in the shared battery management system10 of the first embodiment, the charging controller 141A outputsinformation indicating that the charging has been completed to theprocessor 144A when the charging of the removable battery 510 has beencompleted. When information of the charge rate of each removable battery510 is stored as the battery state information in the replacement devicestorage 130A, the charging controller 141A may be configured to outputinformation of the calculated current charge rate of the removablebattery 510 (including the completion of charging) to the replacementdevice storage 130A and update the battery state information stored inthe replacement device storage 130A.

Also, in the battery replacement device 100A, the removable battery 510may be configured to be temporarily discharged with the remainingelectric power before the removable battery 510 is charged. In thiscase, the charging controller 141A also controls the discharging of theremovable battery 510.

Like the processor 144 provided in the battery replacement device 100Ain the shared battery management system 10 of the first embodiment, theprocessor 144A performs a procedure for replacing the removable battery510 in the battery replacement device 100A. More specifically, theprocessor 144A selects a charged battery 510 c to be used instead of theused battery 510 u brought in by the user of the electric motorcycle 50and accommodated in the battery slot 120 from among charged batteries510 c with which rental (replacement) can be performed included in therentable battery list B stored in the replacement device storage 130A.At this time, the processor 144A selects the charged battery 510 c withwhich replacement is performed in the order of the battery IDs includedin the rentable battery list B. The processor 144A performs a process ofreplacing the used battery 510 u with the selected charged battery 510 cand a process of charging the used battery 510 u. In the process ofreplacing the used battery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c in theprocessor 144A, the user of the electric motorcycle 50 is notified of abattery slot 120 in which the selected charged battery 510 c isaccommodated. The processor 144A extracts the charged battery 510 caccommodated in the battery slot 120 of which the user of the electricmotorcycle 50 is notified, performs the replacement of the removablebattery 510, and then updates the rentable battery list B. That is, theprocessor 144A deletes the battery state information about the selectedcharged battery 510 c included in the rentable battery list B stored inthe replacement device storage 130A. Also, in the process of chargingthe used battery 510 u in the processor 144A, an instruction indicatingthat the used battery 510 u is to be charged is output to the chargingcontroller 141A. Thereby, the charging controller 141A controls thecharger 120C in consideration of the measured value of the removablebattery 510 output from the measurement sensor 142, so that the charger120C charges the used battery 510 u.

The replacement device communicator 150A performs wireless communicationwith the operation server 200A via the network NW in response to aninstruction from the replacement device controller 140A and transmitsthe battery state list S to the operation server 200A. Also, thereplacement device communicator 150A acquires the rentable battery listB from the operation server 200A. The replacement device communicator150A outputs the rentable battery list B acquired from the operationserver 200A to the replacement device storage 130A and causes thereplacement device storage 130A to store the rentable battery list B.

Also, the rentable battery list B cannot always be acquired from theoperation server 200A immediately after the replacement devicecommunicator 150A transmits the battery state list S to the operationserver 200A. This is because the operation server 200A determines aremovable battery 510 with which rental (replacement) can be performedat the battery replacement device 100A and the order thereof on thebasis of the battery state list S transmitted from the batteryreplacement device 100A and then creates the rentable battery list B.Thus, when the rentable battery list B is transmitted from the operationserver 200A, the replacement device communicator 150A receives thetransmitted rentable battery list B, outputs the rentable battery list Bto the replacement device storage 130A, and causes the replacementdevice storage 130A to store the rentable battery list B. That is, therentable battery list B stored in the replacement device storage 130Amay be updated. Also, after the battery state list S is transmitted tothe operation server 200A, the replacement device communicator 150A maybe configured to ask the operation server 200A about whether or not therentable battery list B has been updated, acquire the updated rentablebattery list B when the rentable battery list B has been updated in theoperation server 200A, and cause the replacement device storage 130A tostore (update) the rentable battery list B.

Also, the replacement device communicator 150A may notify thereplacement device controller 140A (more specifically, the processor144A) of information indicating that the rentable battery list B storedin the replacement device storage 130A has been updated. However, theprocessor 144A selects the charged battery 510 c with which replacementis performed in the order of the battery IDs included in the rentablebattery list B previously stored in the replacement device storage 130Aand updates the rentable battery list B by deleting the battery stateinformation about the selected charged battery 510 c included in therentable battery list B after the removable battery 510 is replaced.That is, the rentable battery list B stored in the replacement devicestorage 130A is in a state in which only the battery state informationabout charged batteries 510 c with which replacement can be performed atthe battery replacement device 100A is included. Therefore, whether ornot the rentable battery list B stored in the replacement device storage130A has been updated does not affect the selection of the chargedbattery 510 c with which rental (replacement) is performed in theprocessor 144A. Accordingly, the replacement device communicator 150Adoes not need to output the information indicating that the rentablebattery list B has been updated to the processor 144A.

(Configuration of Operation Server 200A)

Next, an example of a configuration of the operation server 200A will bedescribed. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a schematic configurationof the operation server 200A constituting the shared battery managementsystem 10A of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the operationserver 200A includes a server storage 210A, a server controller 220A,and a server communicator 230A. Also, the server controller 220Aincludes a list processor 222A.

The server storage 210A stores various information in the operationserver 200A. The server storage 210A stores at least the battery statelist S transmitted from the battery replacement device 100A via thenetwork NW and the rentable battery list B transmitted to the batteryreplacement device 100A via the network NW. For example, the serverstorage 210A is configured to include a memory such as a ROM, a RAM, anEEPROM, an HDD, or a flash memory. Also, the server storage 210A storesa program for the server controller 220A to execute the function of theoperation server 200A. Also, the server storage 210A may store theinformation of a battery replacement device ID exclusively assigned tothe battery replacement device 100A.

The server controller 220A controls the entire operation server 200A.For example, the server controller 220A is configured to include aprocessor such as a CPU. The server controller 220A implements thefunction of the operation server 200A by reading and executing theprogram stored in the server storage 210A. More specifically, the servercontroller 220A determines a removable battery 510 with which rental(replacement) can be performed at the battery replacement device 100Aand the order thereof on the basis of the battery state list Stransmitted from the battery replacement device 100A. Also, in theoperation server 200A, for example, the manager of the shared batterymanagement system 10A, the operator of the shared battery use service,or the like may sequentially change logics when the battery replacementdevice 100A performs a procedure for replacing the removable battery 510on the basis of thinking, an intention, or the like of the managementand operation for the removable battery 510 in the shared batterymanagement system 10A. At this time, the manager of the shared batterymanagement system 10A or the like may sequentially change settings ofrules for determining a removable battery 510 with which rental(replacement) can be performed at the battery replacement device 100Aand the order thereof by operating an input device (for example, akeyboard or a mouse) (not shown) on the basis of information displayedon a display device (for example, a liquid crystal display) (not shown)of a terminal (not shown) connected to the operation server 200A.

The server controller 220A creates the rentable battery list B includinginformation of the determined removable battery 510 with which rental(replacement) can be performed at the battery replacement device 100A,the determined order in which rental (replacement) is performed with theremovable battery 510, and the like, outputs the created rentablebattery list B to the server storage 210A, and causes the server storage210A to store the created rentable battery list B. Also, the servercontroller 220A outputs the created rentable battery list B to theserver communicator 230A, so that the rentable battery list B istransmitted to the battery replacement device 100A that has transmittedthe battery state list S via the network NW.

The list processor 222A performs a process of creating the rentablebattery list B based on the battery state list S. More specifically, thelist processor 222A determines a removable battery 510 with which rental(replacement) can be performed at the battery replacement device 100Aand the order thereof on the basis of information of a battery ID and acharging count of the removable battery 510 that is stored in thebattery replacement device 100A and a battery ID, a charging count, anda charge rate of a charged removable battery 510 included in the batterystate list S transmitted from the battery replacement device 100A.Further, the list processor 222A creates the rentable battery list Bincluding information of the determined removable battery 510 with whichrental (replacement) can be performed at the battery replacement device100A, the determined order in which rental (replacement) can beperformed with the removable battery 510, and the like. The listprocessor 222A associates the created rentable battery list B with theinformation of the battery replacement device ID of the batteryreplacement device 100A, outputs an association result to the serverstorage 210A, and causes the server storage 210A to store associationresult. Also, the list processor 222A outputs the created rentablebattery list B to the server communicator 230A and outputs aninstruction for transmitting the output rentable battery list B to thebattery replacement device 100A that has transmitted the battery statelist S to the server communicator 230A. Thereby, the server communicator230A communicates with the battery replacement device 100A via thenetwork NW and transmits the rentable battery list B output by theserver controller 220A to the battery replacement device 100A.

The server communicator 230A performs wireless communication with thereplacement device communicator 150A provided in the battery replacementdevice 100A via the network NW. The server communicator 230A receivesthe battery state list S transmitted from the battery replacement device100A via the network NW, and causes the server storage 210A to store thereceived battery state list S. Also, the server communicator 230Atransmits the rentable battery list B to the battery replacement device100A via the network NW in response to the instruction from the listprocessor 222A.

Also, as described above, the rentable battery list B cannot be alwaystransmitted to the battery replacement device 100A immediately after thebattery state list S transmitted from the battery replacement device100A is received. In this case, an inquiry about whether or not therentable battery list B has been updated is transmitted from the batteryreplacement device 100A. When an inquiry about whether or not therentable battery list B has been updated has been transmitted from thebattery replacement device 100A, the server communicator 230A transmitsthe rentable battery list B created by the list processor 222A andstored in the server storage 210A to the battery replacement device100A. At this time, the server communicator 230A reads a rentablebattery list B corresponding to the battery replacement device 100A thathas transmitted the inquiry, i.e., a rentable battery list B associatedwith the battery replacement device ID of the battery replacement device100A that has transmitted the inquiry from the server storage 210A andtransmits the read rentable battery list B to the battery replacementdevice 100A via the network NW. Thereby, the battery replacement device100A can acquire the rentable battery list B via the network NW andindependently perform a procedure for performing rental (replacement)with the charged battery 510 c to be used instead of the used battery510 u running out of power brought in by the user of the electricmotorcycle 50 on the basis of the acquired rentable battery list B.

Next, an example of a flow of a process in the shared battery managementsystem 10A of the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is asequence diagram showing a flow of a process of acquiring information (arentable battery list B) of removable batteries 510 with which rental(replacement) can be performed in the battery sharing service adoptingthe shared battery management system 10A of the second embodiment. InFIG. 13, an example of a process of the battery replacement device 100Aand the operation server 200A constituting the shared battery managementsystem 10A that provides the battery sharing service is shown inassociation with the removable battery 510 stored in the batteryreplacement device 100A. Also, FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing aflow of a process of renting out (replacing) the removable battery 510in the battery sharing service adopting the shared battery managementsystem 10A of the second embodiment. In FIG. 14, an example of a processof the battery replacement device 100A constituting the shared batterymanagement system 10A, which provides the battery sharing service, isshown in association with the removable battery 510 (the used battery510 u), which is a replacement target, and the user of the electricmotorcycle 50.

First, a process in which the battery replacement device 100A transmitsthe battery state list S to the operation server 200A and the operationserver 200A creates a rentable battery list B on the basis of thebattery state list S and transmits the created rentable battery list Bto the battery replacement device 100A (the battery replacement device100A acquires the rentable battery list B) will be described withreference to FIG. 13. Also, in the following description, it is assumedthat the logic when the battery replacement device 100A performs aprocedure for replacing the removable battery 510, i.e., the rule forthe operation server 200A to determine a removable battery 510 withwhich rental (replacement) can be performed at the battery replacementdevice 100A and the order thereof, has already been set in the operationserver 200A by, for example, the manager of the shared batterymanagement system 10A or the like. Also, although, for example, themanager of the shared battery management system 10A or the like, maycreate a rentable battery list B by operating the operation server 200Ain the shared battery management system 10A, a case in which theoperation of the manager or the like is omitted and the operation server200A creates the rentable battery list B will be described for ease ofdescription in the following description.

In the shared battery management system 10A, the battery replacementdevice 100A first acquires battery state information from each removablebattery 510, which is stored and charged, periodically at predeterminedtime intervals (for example, every 5 minutes) (step S111). At this time,in the battery replacement device 100A, the information acquirer 143Aprovided in the replacement device controller 140A acquires informationfrom components provided in the removable battery 510 via the connector120T of each battery accommodator 120H and the connector 515A. Morespecifically, the information acquirer 143A acquires information of abattery ID, a charging count, and a deteriorated state from the storage514A provided in the removable battery 510. Also, the informationacquirer 143A acquires information of a measured value indicating thestate of the power storage 511 from the measurement sensor 512 or theBMU 513A provided in the removable battery 510. Also, the informationacquirer 143A may acquire information of a charge rate from the BMU 513Aprovided in the removable battery 510.

Subsequently, the battery replacement device 100A transmits the batterystate list S recording the battery state information acquired from eachremovable battery 510, which is stored and charged, to the operationserver 200A (step S112). At this time, in the battery replacement device100A, the processor 144A provided in the replacement device controller140A outputs an instruction for transmitting the battery stateinformation as the battery state list S to the replacement devicecommunicator 150A. Thereby, in the battery replacement device 100A, thereplacement device communicator 150A transmits the battery state list Sincluding the battery state information to the operation server 200A viathe network NW. Also, when the information acquirer 143A has acquiredinformation of a charge rate from the removable battery 510, the batteryreplacement device 100A transmits the battery state list S having theacquired information of the charge rate as charge rate information inthe battery state information to the operation server 200A.

When the battery state list S is transmitted from the batteryreplacement device 100A, the operation server 200A determines aremovable battery 510 with which rental (replacement) can be performedat the battery replacement device 100A and the order thereof on thebasis of the transmitted battery state list S (step S213). At this time,in the operation server 200A, the list processor 222A provided in theserver controller 220A determines a removable battery 510 with whichrental (replacement) can be performed at the battery replacement device100A and the order thereof on the basis of information of a battery ID,a charging count, and a deterioration state of each removable battery510 that is stored in the battery replacement device 100A and a batteryID, a charging count, a deterioration state, and a charge rate of eachremovable battery 510 that is charged in the battery replacement device100A included in the battery state list S.

Subsequently, the operation server 200A creates a rentable battery listB (step S214). At this time, in the operation server 200A, the listprocessor 222A creates the rentable battery list B including informationof a removable battery 510 with which rental (replacement) can beperformed at the battery replacement device 100A, the order in whichrental (replacement) can be performed with the removable battery 510,and the like.

The operation server 200A transmits the created rentable battery list Bto the battery replacement device 100A (step S215). At this time, in theoperation server 200A, the list processor 222A outputs an instructionfor transmitting the rentable battery list B created for the batteryreplacement device 100A that has transmitted the battery state list S tothe server communicator 230A. Thereby, in the operation server 200A, theserver communicator 230A transmits the rentable battery list B createdby the list processor 222A to the battery replacement device 100A viathe network NW. Also, when an inquiry about whether or not the rentablebattery list B has been updated has been transmitted from the batteryreplacement device 100A, the operation server 200A transmits acorresponding rentable battery list B to the battery replacement device100A that has transmitted the inquiry.

Subsequently, the operation server 200A causes the process to return tostep S213. That is, the operation server 200A waits for a process ofcreating the rentable battery list B in the operation server 200A to beperformed until the next battery state list S is transmitted from thebattery replacement device 100A. When the next battery state list S istransmitted from the battery replacement device 100A, the operationserver 200A iterates a process of creating a rentable battery list B,i.e., a process (steps S213 to S215) of determining a removable battery510 with which rental (replacement) can be performed at the batteryreplacement device 100A and the order thereof, creating a rentablebattery list B, and transmitting the rentable battery list B to thebattery replacement device 100A.

On the other hand, the battery replacement device 100A stores therentable battery list B transmitted from the operation server 200A inthe replacement device storage 130A (step S316). At this time, in thebattery replacement device 100A, the replacement device communicator150A outputs the rentable battery list B transmitted from the operationserver 200A to the replacement device storage 130A and causes thereplacement device storage 130A to store the rentable battery list B.Thereby, the battery replacement device 100A can independently perform aprocedure for replacing the used battery 510 u with the charged battery510 c on the basis of the rentable battery list B transmitted from theoperation server 200A.

Subsequently, the battery replacement device 100A determines whether ornot a predetermined time period (for example, 5 minutes) has elapsed(step S417). When a result of the determination of step S417 indicatesthat the predetermined time period has not elapsed (“NO” in step S417),the battery replacement device 100A iterates the determination of stepS417 in the process. That is, the battery replacement device 100A waitsfor the acquisition of battery state information from each removablebattery 510 and the transmission of the battery state list S to theoperation server 200A before the predetermined time period elapses. Onthe other hand, when a result of the determination of step S417indicates that the predetermined time period has elapsed (“YES” in stepS417), the battery replacement device 100A returns to step S111 andacquires the battery state information from each removable battery 510again. That is, the battery replacement device 100A iterates a process(steps S111 to S316) of acquiring the battery state information fromeach removable battery 510 that is stored and charged, transmitting thebattery state information as the battery state list S to the operationserver 200A, and acquiring the rentable battery list B from theoperation server 200A. Thereby, in the battery replacement device 100A,the rentable battery list B stored in the replacement device storage130A is updated to the latest state periodically at predetermined timeintervals (for example, every 5 minutes).

In this manner, in the shared battery management system 10A, the batteryreplacement device 100A and the operation server 200A communicate witheach other via the network NW periodically at predetermined timeintervals (for example, every 5 minutes) to update the rentable batterylist B including information of a removable battery 510 with whichrental (replacement) can be performed at the battery replacement device100A and the order in which rental (replacement) is performed with theremovable battery 510. Thereby, in the shared battery management system10A, the battery replacement device 100A can independently perform aprocedure for replacing a used battery 510 u running out of powerbrought in by the user of the electric motorcycle 50 with the storedcharged battery 510 c on the basis of the latest rentable battery list Breflecting a current power storage state in the power storage 511provided in the removable battery 510.

Subsequently, a process in which the battery replacement device 100Arents out (replaces) the removable battery 510 will be described withreference to FIG. 14. Also, in the following description, it is assumedthat a used battery 510 u brought in by the user of the electricmotorcycle 50 is replaced with a charged battery 510 c. Also, in thefollowing description, it is assumed that the rentable battery list Bpreviously acquired from the operation server 200A in the flow of theprocess shown in FIG. 13 is stored in the replacement device storage130A provided in the battery replacement device 100A. Also, although acase in which the user of the electric motorcycle 50 starts a procedurefor replacing the removable battery 510 by, for example, operating aninput means (not shown) provided in the battery replacement device 100A,is conceivable in the shared battery management system 10A, a detaileddescription of the operation of the battery replacement device 100A bythe user of the electric motorcycle 50 will be omitted for ease ofdescription in the following description.

The user of the electric motorcycle 50 brings the used battery 510 urunning out of power and accommodates the used battery 510 u in thebattery accommodator 120H of the battery slot 120 (step S510). Thereby,the connector 120T within the battery accommodator 120H of any batteryslot 120 provided in the battery replacement device 100A is electricallyconnected to the connector 515A of the used battery 510 u accommodatedby the user of the electric motorcycle 50. At this time, in the batteryreplacement device 100A, the replacement device controller 140A starts aprocess of replacing the used battery 510 u with the charged battery 510c under an assumption that the user of the electric motorcycle 50 hasrequested the replacement of the used battery 510 u accommodated in thebattery accommodator 120H.

When the process of replacing the used battery 510 u with the chargedbattery 510 c is started in the battery replacement device 100A, it isfirst determined whether or not information of a removable battery 510with which rental (replacement) can be performed has been recorded inthe rentable battery list B (step S611). That is, the batteryreplacement device 100A determines whether or not the charged battery510 c with which rental (replacement) can be performed has been storedin any battery slot 120. At this time, in the battery replacement device100A, the processor 144A provided in the replacement device controller140A confirms whether or not information about any removable battery 510has been included in the rentable battery list B stored in thereplacement device storage 130A.

When the information of the removable battery 510 has not been recordedin the rentable battery list B, the processor 144A determines thatrental (replacement) cannot be performed with a charged battery 510 c tobe used instead of the used battery 510 u accommodated in the batteryaccommodator 120H in step S611 (“NO” in step S611). In this case, theprocessor 144A notifies the user of the electric motorcycle 50 that theused battery 510 u cannot be replaced (step S712). Also, although amethod of displaying a message indicating that the used battery 510 ucannot be replaced on the display 110 is conceivable as a method ofnotifying the user of the electric motorcycle 50 that the used battery510 u cannot be replaced, various methods are conceivable as a method ofproviding a notification to the user of the electric motorcycle 50 inthe present invention.

On the other hand, when the information of the removable battery 510 hasbeen recorded in the rentable battery list B, the processor 144Adetermines that rental (replacement) can be performed with the chargedbattery 510 c to be used instead of the used battery 510 u accommodatedin the battery accommodator 120H in step S611 (“YES” in step S611). Inthis case, the processor 144A selects the charged battery 510 c withwhich rental (replacement) is performed from the charged batteries 510 cstored in the rentable battery list B (step S713). Also, wheninformation of a plurality of charged batteries 510 c has been recordedwithin the rentable battery list B, a charged battery 510 c having theearliest turn in order is selected as a charged battery 510 c with whichrental (replacement) is performed in a process of selecting the chargedbatteries 510 c in the processor 144A.

The processor 144A notifies the user of the electric motorcycle 50 ofinformation of the selected charged battery 510 c, i.e., the batteryslot 120 in which the charged battery 510 c with which rental(replacement) is performed is accommodated (step S714). At this time,the processor 144A provides a notification of information of the batteryslot 120 in which the charged battery 510 c with which rental(replacement) is performed is accommodated on the basis of informationof the selected charged battery 510 c stored in the rentable batterylist B. Thereby, the user of the electric motorcycle 50 extracts thecharged battery 510 c accommodated in the battery accommodator 120H ofthe battery slot 120 indicated in the notification (step S810). That is,the user of the electric motorcycle 50 completes the replacement of theremovable battery 510. Thereby, the user of the electric motorcycle 50can mount the charged battery 510 c on the electric motorcycle 50 andcontinue traveling.

At this time, an electrical connection between the connector 120T withinthe battery accommodator 120H of the battery slot 120 that is selectedand indicated in the notification and the connector 515A of the chargedbattery 510 c that is accommodated is disconnected. Thereby, in thebattery replacement device 100A, the replacement device controller 140Aupdates the rentable battery list B under an assumption that thereplacement of the used battery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c bythe user of the electric motorcycle 50 has been completed. Morespecifically, the processor 144A deletes the battery state informationabout the selected charged battery 510 c from the rentable battery listB.

Subsequently, in the battery replacement device 100A, a process ofcharging the used battery 510 u accommodated in the battery slot 120 bythe user of the electric motorcycle 50 is started (step S915). At thistime, in the battery replacement device 100A, the processor 144A outputsan instruction indicating that the used battery 510 u is to be chargedto the information acquirer 143A provided in the replacement devicecontroller 140A. Thereby, the charging controller 141A controls thecharger 120C on the basis of a measured value of the removable battery510 output from the measurement sensor 142, so that the charger 120Ccharges the used battery 510 u.

Also, in the present invention, various timings are conceivable as thetiming for starting charging of the used battery 510 u in the batteryreplacement device 100A. For example, when a plurality of chargedbatteries 510 c are accommodated, the processor 144A may output aninstruction to the charging controller 141A so that charging is startedimmediately after the replacement of the used battery 510 u is completedor may output an instruction to the charging controller 141A so thatcharging is started when the number of charged batteries 510 c becomesless than or equal to a predetermined number.

Also, in the present invention, various methods are conceivable as amethod of controlling the charger 120C when the used battery 510 u ischarged.

Subsequently, the battery replacement device 100A is on standby in astate in which a request for replacement of the used battery 510 u fromthe user of the electric motorcycle 50 can be accepted. The batteryreplacement device 100A iterates a process of replacing the used battery510 u with the charged battery 510 c and a process of charging the usedbattery 510 u (steps S611 to S915) every time the user of the electricmotorcycle 50 brings the used battery 510 u running out of power and thereplacement of the used battery 510 u is requested.

Also, the battery replacement device 100A can perform a process ofreplacing the used battery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c as muchas information of removable batteries 510 with which rental(replacement) can be performed at the battery replacement device 100A isrecorded in the rentable battery list B. However, in the shared batterymanagement system 10A, if the communication between the batteryreplacement device 100A and the operation server 200A via the network NWis not interrupted, a new rentable battery list B is created, forexample, at predetermined time intervals such as every 5 minutes, andthe rentable battery list stored in the replacement device storage 130Ais updated as described above. Accordingly, when the used battery 510 ubrought in by the user of the electric motorcycle 50 is charged andserves as a charged battery 510 c, the battery replacement device 100Acan perform rental (replacement) with this charged battery 510 c servingas a charged battery 510 c to be used instead of another used battery510 u. That is, the shared battery management system 10A can continue toperform a procedure for replacing the removable battery 510 while thecommunication between the battery replacement device 100A and theoperation server 200A is normally performed via the network NW.

Further, in the shared battery management system 10A, the rentablebattery list B is stored in the battery replacement device 100A, so thatthe battery replacement device 100A can independently perform aprocedure for replacing the used battery 510 u with the charged battery510 c on the basis of the rentable battery list B. Thus, in the sharedbattery management system 10A, for example, even if the communicationbetween the battery replacement device 100A and the operation server200A via the network NW is interrupted or stable communication cannot beperformed, it is possible to perform a process of replacing the usedbattery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c as much as information ofremovable batteries 510 with which rental (replacement) can be performedis recorded in the rentable battery list B. That is, in the sharedbattery management system 10A, it is possible to avoid the stop orsuspension of replacement of the removable battery 510 due to thedeterioration of the state of communication (the environment ofcommunication) between the shared battery management system 10A and theoperation server 200A and continue to provide the battery sharingservice to the users of the electric motorcycles 50 until thereplacement of removable batteries 510, which are as many as the numberof removable batteries 510 recorded in the current rentable battery listB, is completed. The shared battery management system 10A is consideredto be significantly effective as compared with the conventional sharedbattery management system in which rental (replacement) is performedwith a charged battery 510 c using communication performed between theoperation server and the battery replacement device via the network NWevery time the user of the electric motorcycle 50 brings a used battery510 u running out of power.

(Comparison of Operation Between Shared Battery Management System 10Aand Conventional Shared Battery Management System)

Here, operations of a battery sharing service adopting the sharedbattery management system 10A and a battery sharing service adopting theconventional shared battery management system will be compared. FIG. 15is a diagram schematically showing a flow of a procedure for renting outthe removable battery 510 in the battery sharing service adopting theshared battery management system 10A of the second embodiment. Also,FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically showing a flow of a procedure forrenting out the removable battery 510 in the battery sharing serviceadopting the conventional shared battery management system.

As described above, in the shared battery management system 10A, thebattery replacement device 100A transmits the battery state list S tothe operation server 200A via the network NW and previously acquires therentable battery list B created by the operation server 200A. In theshared battery management system 10A, the battery replacement device100A independently performs a procedure for replacing the used battery510 u brought in by the user of the electric motorcycle 50 with thecharged battery 510 c in accordance with information of a removablebattery 510 with which rental (replacement) can be performed at thebattery replacement device 100A and the order thereof included in theacquired rentable battery list B. In (a) of FIG. 15, a state in whichthe shared battery management system 10A exchanges the battery statelist S and the rentable battery list B between the battery replacementdevice 100A and the operation server 200A via the network NW isschematically shown. Also, in (b) of FIG. 15, a state in which thebattery replacement device 100A replaces the used battery 510 u broughtin by the user P of the electric motorcycle 50 with the charged battery510 c on the basis of the acquired rentable battery list B isschematically shown.

In the shared battery management system 10A, the rentable battery list Bfor use in the battery replacement device 100A is not acquired from theoperation server 200A every time selection is performed when the chargedbattery 510 c with which rental (replacement) can be performed isselected instead of the used battery 510 u and is previously acquiredperiodically, for example, at predetermined regular time intervals, forexample, every 5 minutes. Thus, in the shared battery management system10A, as shown in (a) of FIG. 15, the battery replacement device 100Atransmits the battery state information of each removable battery 510that is stored and charged as the battery state list S to the operationserver 200A, acquires the rentable battery list B created on the basisof the battery state list S transmitted by the operation server 200A,and stores the rentable battery list B. Thereby, the battery replacementdevice 100A can independently perform a process of replacing theremovable battery 510 on the basis of the stored rentable battery list Bwithout being affected by the state of wireless communication (theenvironment of communication) via the network NW between the batteryreplacement device 100A and the operation server 200A. That is, as shownin (b) of FIG. 15, the battery replacement device 100A does not need toimmediately stop or suspend a procedure for replacing a used battery 510u brought in by a user P of the electric motorcycle 50 with the chargedbattery 510 c even if wireless communication with the operation server200A via the network NW is interrupted or stable wireless communicationcannot be performed. The battery replacement device 100A can continue toindependently perform a procedure for replacing removable batteries 510,which are as many as the number of removable batteries 510 recorded inthe rentable battery list B. Thus, in the battery sharing serviceadopting the shared battery management system 10A, it is possible toperform replacement with the charged battery 510 c when the user P ofthe electric motorcycle 50 wants to replace the used battery 510 u.Considering that the user P of the electric motorcycle 50 uses thebattery sharing service at a timing when it is expected that theremovable battery 510 will run out of power and traveling of theelectric motorcycle 50 will be difficult, the shared battery managementsystem 10A is considered to be significantly effective for maintainingthe provision of the battery sharing service.

Moreover, in the shared battery management system 10A, the number ofremovable batteries 510 capable of being replaced at the batteryreplacement device 100A in a situation in which the state of wirelesscommunication state (an environment of communication) between the sharedbattery management system 10A and the operation server 200A deterioratesis the number of removable batteries 510 recorded in the rentablebattery list B. Thus, in the shared battery management system 10A, forexample, considering that the operation server 200A manages whichremovable battery 510 is rented out to the user P of which electricmotorcycle 50, unnecessary replacement of the removable battery 510 isnot performed, so that it is also considered possible to avoid asituation in which the restoration of management information becomesdifficult after the wireless communication state (the communicationenvironment) is restored.

On the other hand, in the conventional shared battery management system,communication via the network NW is performed between the battery supplydevice corresponding to the battery replacement device 100A and thesystem management device corresponding to the operation server 200Aevery time the user P of the electric motorcycle 50 brings the usedbattery 510 u. In (a) of FIG. 16, the state of a process in the batteryreplacement device 800, which is the battery supply device, and thesystem management device 900 via the network NW in the conventionalshared battery management system is schematically shown. Morespecifically, in the conventional shared battery management system, asshown in (a) of FIG. 16, the battery replacement device 800 transmitsinformation of the used battery 510 u to the system management device900 connected via the network NW at a timing when the used battery 510 uis replaced with the charged battery 510 c. In the conventional sharedbattery management system, as shown in (a) of FIG. 16, the systemmanagement device 900 selects a charged battery 510 c with which rental(replacement) is performed at the battery replacement device 800 insteadof the used battery 510 u on the basis of information of the usedbattery 510 u transmitted from the battery replacement device 800 andtransmits a selection result to the battery replacement device 800 viathe network NW. In the conventional shared battery management system,the battery replacement device 800 performs a procedure for replacingthe used battery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c in accordance withthe selection result transmitted from the system management device 900.

Thus, in the conventional shared battery management system, as shown in(b) of FIG. 16, it is not possible to perform the procedure forreplacing the used battery 510 u with the charged battery 510 c whenwireless communication via the network NW between the batteryreplacement device 800 and the system management device 900 isinterrupted or stable wireless communication cannot be performed at atiming when the user P of the electric motorcycle 50 has brought theused battery 510 u. That is, in the conventional shared batterymanagement system, the procedure for replacing the used battery 510 ubrought in by the user P of the electric motorcycle 50 with the chargedbattery 510 c has to be stopped or suspended due to the state of awireless communication (an environment of communication) via the networkNW between the battery replacement device 800 and the system managementdevice 900. In this case, the user P of the electric motorcycle 50 hasto wait for the wireless communication between the battery replacementdevice 800 and the system management device 900 via the network NW to berestored. This is because, considering that the user P of the electricmotorcycle 50 arrives at the current battery replacement device 800 at atiming when it is expected that the removable battery 510 will run outof power and traveling of the electric motorcycle 50 will be difficult,it is considered difficult to go to another battery replacement device800. Thus, considering that the user P of the electric motorcycle 50uses the battery sharing service for the purpose of shortening a timeperiod required to charge the removable battery 510 when the removablebattery 510 runs out of power and traveling of the electric motorcycle50 becomes difficult, the conventional shared battery management systemis considered to be significantly disadvantageous for maintaining theprovision of the battery sharing service.

Here, for example, a case in which the battery rental processing meansincorporated as software in the battery replacement device 800 performsa procedure for replacing the used battery 510 u with the chargedbattery 510 c without using the selection result of the systemmanagement device 900 is conceivable. More specifically, a case in whichthe battery replacement device 800 performs a procedure for replacingthe used battery 510 u with a fully charged battery 510 c stored in thebattery replacement device 800 in accordance with a process of thebattery rental processing means incorporated as software is conceivable.In this case, the conventional shared battery management system can alsoperform a procedure for replacing the used battery 510 u with thecharged battery 510 c in a situation in which the state of wirelesscommunication (an environment of communication) between the batteryreplacement device 800 and the system management device 900 via thenetwork NW deteriorates. However, for example, when the state ofwireless communication (the environment of communication) via thenetwork NW between the battery replacement device 800 and the systemmanagement device 900 continues to deteriorate for a long time, theconventional shared battery management system is configured so that thebattery replacement device 800 endlessly performs replacement with fullycharged batteries 510 c. This is because, for example, considering thatthe system management device 900 manages which removable battery 510 isrented out to the user P of which electric motorcycle 50, the endlessreplacement is considered to be a factor that causes a situation inwhich restoration of the management information becomes difficult afterthe wireless communication state (the communication environment) isrestored in the conventional shared battery management system. Forexample, this is because a case in which, if the wireless communicationstate (the communication environment) continues to deteriorate for along time, a charged battery 510 c, which has been rented out, will runout of power and will be further replaced with another charged batteryand the charged battery 510 c running out of power will be charged andwill be further rented out to a user P of another electric motorcycle 50when charging is completed is also conceivable. Also, this is becausethe battery replacement device 800, which rents out the removablebattery 510, is not always the same as a battery replacement device 800,which initially rented out the removable battery 510. In this case, inthe conventional shared battery management system, it is necessary forthe system management device 900 to restore management information bytracing back in time series how many removable batteries 510 have beenreplaced until the wireless communication state (the communicationenvironment) is restored and the restoration of the managementinformation may be significantly difficult.

In this regard, in the shared battery management system 10A, the numberof removable batteries 510 capable of being replaced at the batteryreplacement device 100A is limited to the number of removable batteries510 recorded in the rentable battery list B even if the state ofwireless communication (the environment of communication) between theshared battery management system 10A and the operation server 200Acontinues to deteriorate for a long time. That is, in the shared batterymanagement system 10A, the number of times the removable battery 510 isrented out (replaced) by the battery replacement device 100A can belimited to a finite number in a situation in which the state of wirelesscommunication (the environment of communication) between the sharedbattery management system 10A and the operation server 200Adeteriorates. In other words, in the shared battery management system10A, in a situation in which the state of wireless communication (theenvironment of communication) between the shared battery managementsystem 10A and the operation server 200A deteriorates, the number oftimes the removable battery 510 is rented out (replaced) is finitelyallowed and endless rental (replacement) of the removable battery 510can be avoided. Thereby, in the shared battery management system 10A, atime period for the operation server 200A to go back in time series forrestoring the management information is shortened and the managementinformation can be restored more easily than in the conventional sharedbattery management system.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the sharedbattery management system 10A is configured to include the batteryreplacement device 100A installed in a plurality of places andconfigured to store and charge one or more removable batteries 510 andthe operation server 200A configured to manage removable batteries 510capable of being replaced at the battery replacement device 100A. In thesecond embodiment, the battery replacement device 100A transmits thebattery state information of the removable batteries 510 that are storedand charged as the battery state list S to the operation server 200A viathe network NW periodically at predetermined time intervals such as, forexample, every five minutes. Also, in the second embodiment, the batteryreplacement device 100A acquires a rentable battery list B recordingremovable batteries 510 with which rental (replacement) can be performedand the order of rental (replacement) created by the operation server200A on the basis of the transmitted battery state list S via thenetwork NW and stores the rentable battery list B. In the secondembodiment, the battery replacement device 100A performs a procedure forreplacing a used battery 510 u desired to be replaced by the user of theelectric motorcycle 50 with a removable battery 510 that is stored onthe basis of the stored rentable battery list B.

Here, in the second embodiment, the operation server 200A determines aremovable battery 510 with which rental (replacement) can be performedat the battery replacement device 100A and the order in which rental(replacement) can be performed with the removable battery 510 on thebasis of the battery state list S transmitted from the batteryreplacement device 100A and creates a rentable battery list B. At thistime, in the second embodiment, the operation server 200A determines aremovable battery 510 with which rental (replacement) can be performedat the battery replacement device 100A and the order thereof on thebasis of logic when a procedure for replacing the removable battery 510according to a preset rule is performed and creates the rentable batterylist B. Thereby, in the second embodiment, it is possible to easilychange a removable battery 510 with which rental (replacement) can beperformed at the battery replacement device 100A and the order thereof,i.e., a method of renting out the removable battery 510, only by settinga rule for the operation server 200A to determine a removable battery510 with which rental (replacement) can be performed at the batteryreplacement device 100A and the order thereof in the operation server200A. Thereby, in the second embodiment, as in the conventional sharedbattery management system, it is possible to arbitrarily change thelogic when the battery replacement device 100A performs a procedure forreplacing the removable battery 510 at any timing without changing thesoftware itself incorporated in the battery supply device. In otherwords, in the second embodiment, it is possible to manage a removablebattery 510 with which rental (replacement) is performed at the batteryreplacement device 100A and the order thereof according to the rentablebattery list B created by the operation server 200A.

Also, in the second embodiment, it is possible to similarly easilychange a removable battery 510 with which rental (replacement) isperformed at the battery replacement device 100A and the order thereof,i.e., a method of renting out the removable battery 510, even if thelogic when the battery replacement device 100A performs the procedurefor replacing the removable battery 510 is set in the operation server200A. Moreover, in the second embodiment, the operation server 200Acreates the rentable battery list B reflecting a current power storagestate in each removable battery 510 that is stored and charged for eachbattery replacement device 100A. Thus, in the second embodiment, thelogic when the battery replacement device 100A performs the procedurefor replacing the removable battery 510 is made different by setting adifferent rule in the operation server 200A for each battery replacementdevice 100A constituting the shared battery management system 10A.Therefore, in the second embodiment, it is possible to easily change amethod of renting out the removable battery 510 on the basis ofthinking, an intention, or the like when the management or operation forthe removable batteries 510 is performed by the manager of the sharedbattery management system 10A or the operator of the battery sharingservice adopting the shared battery management system 10A.

Moreover, in the second embodiment, the battery replacement device 100Acan independently perform a procedure for replacing a used battery 510 udesired to be replaced by the user of the electric motorcycle 50 with astored removable battery 510 on the basis of the stored rentable batterylist B. Thus, in the second embodiment, the battery replacement device100A can continue to perform a procedure for replacing removablebatteries 510 until rental (replacement) of all removable batteriesrecorded in the rentable battery list B is completed even if the stateof communication (an environment of communication) via the network NWbetween the battery replacement device 100A and the operation server200A deteriorates. Thereby, in the second embodiment, it is possible tocontinue to provide the battery sharing service to the user of theelectric motorcycle 50 without stopping or suspending a procedure forreplacing a removable battery 510 due to an influence of deteriorationof a communication state (a communication environment) until the batteryreplacement device 100A completes rental (replacement) of removablebatteries 510, which are as many as the number of removable batteries510 recorded in the rentable battery list B.

Accordingly, in the second embodiment, the flexibility of the batterysharing service to be provided can be improved.

Also, an example in which the battery replacement device 100A and theoperation server 200A constituting the shared battery management system10A communicate with each other via the network NW, which is acommunication network for wireless communication, has been described inthe second embodiment. However, the communication between the batteryreplacement device 100A and the operation server 200A in the sharedbattery management system 10A is not limited to wireless communicationand communication between the battery replacement device 100A and theoperation server 200A in the shared battery management system 10A may bewired communication, i.e., the network NW may be a communication networkfor wired communication. Also, even if the communication between thebattery replacement device 100A and the operation server 200A in theshared battery management system 10A is wired communication, the wiredcommunication may be interrupted or stable wired communication may notbe able to be performed, for example, when the maintenance of theoperation server 200A is performed, or the like. However, even if thecommunication between the battery replacement device 100A and theoperation server 200A is wired communication in the shared batterymanagement system 10A, it is possible to similarly consider theabove-described case and obtain a similar effect by replacing thenetwork NW with wired communication. Accordingly, a detailed descriptionof the procedure for replacing the removable battery 510 in the sharedbattery management system 10A when the communication between the batteryreplacement device 100A and the operation server 200A is wiredcommunication will be omitted.

Also, an example in which one used battery 510 u is brought in by theuser of the electric motorcycle 50 and replaced at the batteryreplacement device 100A has been described in the second embodiment.However, the number of removable batteries 510 that are mounted for theelectric motorcycle 50 to travel is not limited to one. That is, a casein which the electric motorcycle 50 is an electric vehicle that travelswith electric power supplied from a plurality of removable batteries 510is also conceivable. However, even if the electric motorcycle 50 is anelectric vehicle that travels in a state in which a plurality ofremovable batteries 510 are mounted thereon, a procedure for replacingthe removable batteries 510 is conceivable as described above. Forexample, when the electric motorcycle 50 is an electric vehicle thattravels with electric power supplied from two removable batteries 510,the user of the electric motorcycle 50 performs the operation of stepsS510 and S810 shown in FIG. 14 on each removable battery 510, i.e.,performs the operation twice, and the operation is the iteration of thesame operation. Accordingly, a detailed description of the procedure forreplacing the removable battery 510 in the electric vehicle that travelswith the electric power supplied from the plurality of removablebatteries 510 will be omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, a case in which an electric vehicle,which is an electric power device used by the user who uses the batterysharing service, is the electric motorcycle 50, which is a saddle-ridingtype electric vehicle, has been described. However, the electric powerdevice used by the user who uses the battery sharing service is notlimited to the saddle-riding type electric vehicle as shown in theabove-described embodiment. For example, the electric power device inthe above-described embodiment includes all vehicle-type movableobjects, each of which travels using an electric motor driven withelectric power supplied from the removable battery, such as athree-wheeled vehicle (including a front two-wheeled and rearone-wheeled vehicle in addition to a front one-wheeled and reartwo-wheeled vehicle), a four-wheeled vehicle, and an assisted bicycle aswell as a saddle-type two-wheeled vehicle. Instead of these vehicle-typemovable objects, the “electric power device” may be a portable powercharging/supplying device carried by a person or a vehicle described inJapanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No.2019-068552. Also, the “electric power device” may be a movable robot,an autonomous traveling device, an electric bicycle, an autonomoustraveling vehicle, another electric vehicle, a drone flying object, oranother electric movable device (electric mobility).

Also, the various above-described functions or processes in the powerstorage device management system may be performed by recording a programfor implementing the functions or the processes of the storage device(for example, the battery replacement device 100) or the server (forexample, the operation server 200) that is a component of the powerstorage device management system (for example, the shared batterymanagement system 10) according to the present invention on acomputer-readable recording medium and causing a computer system to readand execute the program recorded on the recording medium. Also, the“computer system” used here is assumed to include an operating system(OS) and hardware such as peripheral devices. Also, the “computersystem” is assumed to include a homepage providing environment (ordisplaying environment) when a World Wide Web (WWW) system is used.Also, the “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storagedevice, including a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disc, a ROM, awritable non-volatile writable memory such as a flash memory, a portablemedium such as a compact disc (CD)-ROM, and a hard disk embedded in thecomputer system.

Further, the “computer-readable recording medium” is assumed to includea computer-readable recording medium for retaining the program for apredetermined time period as in a volatile memory (a dynamicrandom-access memory (DRAM)) inside the computer system including aserver and a client when the program is transmitted via a network suchas the Internet or a communication circuit such as a telephone circuit.Also, the above-described program may be transmitted from a computersystem storing the program in a storage device or the like via atransmission medium or transmitted to another computer system bytransmission waves in a transmission medium. Here, the “transmissionmedium” for transmitting the program refers to a medium having afunction of transmitting information as in a network (a communicationnetwork) such as the Internet or a communication circuit (acommunication line) such as a telephone circuit. Also, theabove-described program may be a program for implementing some of theabove-described functions. Further, the above-described program may be aprogram capable of implementing the above-described function incombination with a program already recorded on the computer system,i.e., a so-called differential file (differential program).

Although modes for carrying out the present invention have beendescribed above using the embodiments, the present invention is notlimited to the embodiments and various modifications and replacementscan be applied without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

The above-described embodiments can be expressed as follows.

(1) According to an aspect of the embodiment, there is provided a sharedbattery management system (for example, the shared battery managementsystem 10) for managing replacement of removable batteries (for example,the removable batteries 510) that are removably mounted on an electricvehicle (for example, the electric motorcycle 50) and shared by aplurality of electric vehicles, the shared battery system including: abattery replacement device (for example, the battery replacement device100) having a plurality of battery slots (for example, the battery slots120) provided to accommodate the removable batteries and configured tostore and charge one or more removable batteries; and an operation serer(for example, the operation server 200) configured to manage anavailable battery list (for example, the available battery list L)recording identification information (for example, battery IDs) of aplurality of removable batteries with which replacement can be performedat the battery replacement device, wherein the battery replacementdevice is configured to acquire the available battery list via acommunication network (for example, the network NW) at predeterminedtime intervals (for example, every three hours, every day, or the like),store the acquired available battery list, and perform a procedure forreplacing a used battery (for example, the used battery 510 u) which isthe removable battery running out of power due to the use in theelectric vehicle with a charged battery (for example, the chargedbattery 510 c) that is the removable battery whose charging is completedand which is stored on the basis of the identification informationincluded in the stored available battery list.

(2) In the shared battery management system according to the aspect (1),the battery replacement device is configured to ask the operation serverabout whether or not the available battery list has been updated via thecommunication network at predetermined time intervals, acquire theavailable battery list via the communication network only when theavailable battery list has been updated, and store the acquiredavailable battery list.

(3) In the shared battery management system according to the aspect (2),the battery replacement device includes a replacement device storage(for example, the replacement device storage 130) configured to storethe acquired available battery list; and a replacement device controller(for example, the replacement device controller 140) configured toacquire the identification information of the used battery when the usedbattery has been accommodated in any battery slot, combine the acquiredidentification information with the identification information includedin the available battery list stored in the replacement device storagedevice, and determine whether or not the used battery is the removablebattery capable of being replaced.

(4) In the shared battery management system of the aspect (3), thereplacement device controller is configured to determine the usedbattery accommodated in the battery slot as the removable battery thatcannot be replaced when the acquired identification information is notincluded in the available battery list to provide a notificationindicating that replacement is not possible (for example, through thedisplay 110), is configured to determine that the used batteryaccommodated in the battery slot is the removable battery capable ofbeing replaced when the acquired identification information is includedin the available battery list, select the charged battery forreplacement from among the charged batteries whose charging is completedand which are stored in different battery slots, and provide anotification of the battery slot where the selected charged battery isaccommodated (for example, through the display 110).

(5) In the shared battery management system of the aspect (4), thereplacement device controller is configured to start charging of theused battery after the selected charged battery is extracted from thebattery slot where the selected charged battery is accommodated.

(6) In the shared battery management system according to the aspect (5),the replacement device controller further includes a charging controller(for example, the charging controller 141) configured to control acharger for charging the used battery.

(7) According to another aspect of the embodiment, there is provided ashared battery management system (for example, the shared batterymanagement system 10A) for managing replacement of removable batteries(for example, the removable batteries 510) that are removably mounted onan electric vehicle (for example, the electric motorcycle 50) and sharedby a plurality of electric vehicles, the shared battery systemincluding: a battery replacement device (for example, the batteryreplacement device 100A) having a plurality of battery slots (forexample, the battery slots 120) provided to accommodate the removablebatteries and configured to store and charge one or more removablebatteries; and an operation server (for example, the operation server200A) configured to create a rentable battery list (for example, therentable battery list B) recording a plurality of removable batteriescapable of being rented out at the battery replacement device and theorder in which the removable batteries are rented, wherein the batteryreplacement device is configured to acquire the rentable battery listvia a communication network (for example, the network NW) periodicallyat predetermined time intervals (for example, every five minutes), storethe acquired rentable battery list, perform a procedure for replacing aused battery (for example, the used battery 510 u) which is theremovable battery running out of power due to the use in the electricvehicle with a charged battery (for example, the charged battery 510 c)which is the removable battery capable of being rented out included inthe rentable battery list in accordance with the order in which theremovable batteries are rented indicated in the stored rentable batterylist.

(8) In the shared battery management system according to the aspect (7),the battery replacement device is configured to delete information ofthe charged battery with which replacement has been performed from therentable battery list after the replacement of the used battery with thecharged battery included in the rentable battery list is completed.

(9) In the shared battery management system according to the aspect (7)or (8), the battery replacement device transmits a battery state list(for example, the battery state list S) recording states of the storedremovable batteries to the operation server via the communicationnetwork periodically at predetermined time intervals and the operationserver is configured to determine the removable batteries capable ofbeing rented out at the battery replacement device and the order inwhich the removable batteries are rented out on the basis of informationindicating the state of each removable battery included in thetransmitted battery state list and creates the rentable battery list.

(10) In the shared battery management system according to the aspect(9), the operation server is configured to determine the removablebatteries capable of being rented out at the battery replacement deviceand the order in which the removable batteries are rented out in logicaccording to a rule for determining the removable batteries capable ofbeing rented out and the order in which the removable batteries arerented out preset in correspondence with the battery replacement device.

(11) In the shared battery management system according to the aspect(9), the battery replacement device includes a replacement devicecontroller (for example, the replacement device controller 140A)configured to acquire battery state information indicating states of thestored removable batteries, select the charged battery to be usedinstead of the used battery in the order indicated in the rentablebattery list when the used battery has been accommodated in any batteryslot, delete information of the selected charged battery after thereplacement of the used battery with the selected charged battery iscompleted, and update the rentable battery list; a replacement devicecommunicator (for example, the replacement device communicator 150A)configured to transmit the battery state information as the batterystate list to the operation server and acquire the rentable battery listfrom the operation server; and a replacement device storage (forexample, the replacement device storage 130A) configured to store theacquired rentable battery list.

(12) In the shared battery management system according to the aspect(11), the replacement device controller is configured to start chargingof the used battery after the selected charged battery is extracted fromthe battery slot where the selected charged battery is accommodated.

(13) In the shared battery management system according to the aspect(12), the replacement device controller further includes a chargingcontroller (for example, the charging controller 141A) configured tocontrol a charger for charging the used battery.

(14) In the shared battery management system according to any one ofaspects (9) to (13), the battery state list is configured to record atleast identification information (for example, a battery ID) of eachremovable battery that is stored, information of a charging count, andinformation of a deterioration state, and information of a charge rate.

According to the above-described aspects (1) to (3), the batteryreplacement device is configured to previously acquire the availablebattery list recording identification information of the removablebatteries that are shared from the operation server via thecommunication network and store the acquired available battery list. Thebattery replacement device is configured to determine whether or not theused battery is the removable battery capable of being replaced bycollating the identification information of the used battery, which isthe removable battery desired to be replaced, with the identificationinformation included in the stored available battery list. Thereby, inthe shared battery management system, the battery replacement device canindependently perform a procedure for replacing the removable batteryeven if the communication network between the battery replacement deviceand the operation server cannot be used. Thereby, the shared batterymanagement system can continue to provide the battery sharing servicewithout being affected by the communication environment between thebattery replacement device and the operation server.

Also, according to the above-described aspect (4), the replacementdevice controller provided in the battery replacement device provides anotification of a result of determining whether or not the used batteryis a removable battery capable of being replaced. Thereby, the sharedbattery management system can allow the user who receive the batterysharing service to know whether or not the used battery is a removablebattery that is shared. In the shared battery management system, it ispossible to prevent a removable battery that is not shared from beingmixed in.

Also, according to the above-described aspects (5) and (6), in thebattery replacement device, the charging of the used battery is startedafter the charged battery whose charging is completed and which isstored is extracted from the battery slot, i.e., after the replacementof the removable battery is completed. Thereby, in the shared batterymanagement system, charging of the used battery can be started at anytiming.

According to the above-described aspect (7), the battery replacementdevice is configured to previously acquire a rentable battery listrecording a removable battery with which rental (replacement) can beperformed and the order in which rental (replacement) is performed withthe removable battery from the operation server via the communicationnetwork and stores the rentable battery list. The battery replacementdevice is configured to select a removable battery to be used instead ofthe used battery, which is a removable battery desired to be replaced,in accordance with the order indicated in the rentable battery list andperforms a replacement procedure with the selected removable battery.Thereby, in the shared battery management system, the batteryreplacement device can independently perform the procedure for replacingthe removable battery even if the communication network between thebattery replacement device and the operation server cannot be used.Thereby, the shared battery management system can continue to providethe battery sharing service without being affected by the environment ofcommunication between the battery replacement device and the operationserver.

Also, according to the above-described aspect (8), the batteryreplacement device is configured to delete information of the removablebattery with which rental (replacement) has been performed from therentable battery list after the replacement procedure is completed.Thereby, in the shared battery management system, the batteryreplacement device can rent out (replace) as many removable batteries asthe number of removable batteries included in the rentable battery list.Incidentally, the battery replacement device cannot acquire a newrentable battery list when the communication network associated with theoperation server remains unavailable for a long time. However, thebattery replacement device can rent out (replace) removable batteries,which are as many as the number of removable batteries included in therentable battery list, i.e., while the removable batteries are recordedin the rentable battery list. Thereby, in the shared battery managementsystem, it is possible to allow a finite number of rentals(replacements) of removable batteries in the battery replacement devicewithout immediately stopping rental (replacement) in a situation inwhich the communication network between the battery replacement deviceand the operation server is not available. In other words, in the sharedbattery management system, it is possible to prevent the batteryreplacement device from endlessly renting out (replacing) the removablebatteries.

Also, according to the above-described aspect (9), the batteryreplacement device is configured to transmit a battery state listrecording states of the stored removable batteries to the operationserver periodically at predetermined time intervals. The operationserver is configured to determine a removable battery with which rental(replacement) can be performed at the battery replacement device and theorder thereof on the basis of the information of each removable batteryincluded in the battery state list and creates the rentable batterylist. Thereby, in the shared battery management system, the list ofrentable batteries acquired by the battery replacement device from theoperation server is updated to the latest state reflecting the currentstate of each removable battery. In other words, in the shared batterymanagement system, the operation server can manage the removablebatteries which are rented out (replaced) at the battery replacementdevice by creating the rentable battery list.

Also, according to the above-described aspect (10), the operation serveris configured to determine a removable battery with which rental(replacement) can be performed at the battery replacement device and theorder thereof in the logic when the replacement procedure is performedaccording to a preset rule for determining a removable battery withwhich rental (replacement) can be performed at the battery replacementdevice and the order thereof. At this time, in the shared batterymanagement system, the rule for determining a removable battery withwhich rental (replacement) can be performed at the battery replacementdevice and the order thereof is set. Thereby, in the shared batterymanagement system, the logic when a procedure for replacing theremovable battery is performed can differ according to each batteryreplacement device. Thereby, in the shared battery management system, itis possible to perform the rental of the removable battery suitable forthinking (suitable for an intention) of the manager of the sharedbattery management system or the operator of the battery sharing serviceadopting the shared battery management system.

Also, according to the above-described aspect (11), it is possible toimplement a function of the battery replacement device that isconfigured to acquire the battery state information indicating thestates of the removable batteries that are stored, transmit the acquiredbattery state information as the battery state list, store the rentablebattery list acquired from the operation server, selects the removablebattery to be used instead of the used battery in the order indicated inthe stored rentable battery list, and perform the replacement procedure.Also, it is possible to implement the function of a battery replacementdevice that updates the rentable battery list by deleting the removablebattery with which rental (replacement) has been performed from therentable battery list according to the replacement procedure.

Also, according to the above-described aspects (12) and (13), in thebattery replacement device, the charging of the used battery is startedafter the charged battery with which rental (replacement) is performedis extracted from the battery slot, i.e., after the replacement of theremovable battery is completed. Thereby, in the shared batterymanagement system, charging of the used battery can be started at anytiming.

Also, according to the above-described aspect (14), the identificationinformation of the removable battery, the charging count, thedeterioration state, and the charge rate (a proportion at which charginghas been completed) are stored in the battery state list transmitted bythe battery replacement device to the operation server. Thereby, in theshared battery management system, it is possible to prevent theremovable battery that has deteriorated at a limit level or more frombeing rented out (replaced). Thereby, in the shared battery managementsystem, it is possible to facilitate the work of replacing the removablebattery that has deteriorated at the limit level or more in themaintenance of the battery sharing service. Also, in the shared batterymanagement system, a removable battery having a charge rate of apredetermined proportion or more can be included in removable batterieswith which rental (replacement) can be performed. Thereby, the sharedbattery management system can provide a flexible removable batteryrental (replacement) method according to thinking or an intention of themanager of the shared battery management system or the operator of thebattery sharing service adopting the shared battery management system.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

10, 10A Shared battery management system (power storage devicemanagement system)

100, 100A Battery replacement device (storage device)

101 Housing

110 Display

120, 120-1, 120-2, 120-3, 120-4, 120-5, 120-6, 120-7, 120-8 Battery slot(accommodator)

120H, 120-1H Battery accommodator

120L, 120-1L Opening/closing lid

120T Connector

120C Charger

130, 130A Replacement device storage (second storage unit)

140, 140A Replacement device controller (determiner, provider, deleter,responder)

141, 141A Charging controller (charger)

142 Measurement sensor

143, 143A Information acquirer (state acquirer)

144, 144A Processor (determiner)

150, 150A Replacement device communicator (transmitter, firsttransmitter)

200, 200A Operation server (server device)

210, 210A Server storage (first storage unit)

220, 220A Server controller (deleter, decider)

221 Information acquirer

222, 222A List processor

230, 230A Server communicator (second transmitter)

50 Electric motorcycle (electric power device)

510 Removable battery (power storage device)

510 u Used battery

510 c Charged battery

511 Power storage

512 Measurement sensor

513, 513A BMU

514, 514A Storage

515, 515A Connector

NW Network

L Available battery list (storage identification information)

S Battery state list (state information, storage information)

B Rentable battery list (storage identification information, provisioninformation)

What is claimed is:
 1. A power storage device management systemcomprising: a storage device configured to store a plurality of powerstorage devices each being removably mountable on an electric powerdevice using electric power; and a server device communicativelyconnected to the storage device, wherein the storage device comprises:an acquirer configured to acquire, when a first power storage device ofthe plurality of power storage devices is received from a first user,first identification information of the first power storage device; anda first transmitter configured to transmit the first identificationinformation to the server device, wherein the server device comprises: afirst storage unit storing storage identification information thatincludes identification information of each of one or more sharablepower storage devices of the plurality of power storage devices, the oneor more sharable power storage devices being allowed to be shared by aplurality of users; and a determiner configured to determine, based onthe first identification information and the storage identificationinformation, whether or not the first identification information isincluded in the storage identification information.
 2. The power storagedevice management system according to claim 1, wherein the server devicefurther comprises a second transmitter configured to transmit to thestorage device, a result of the determination by the determiner, andwherein the storage device further comprises an accommodator configuredto, based on the result of the determination, store the first powerstorage device.
 3. The power storage device management system accordingto claim 1, wherein the determiner is configured to determine whether ornot the first identification information is included in the storageidentification information, based on the storage identificationinformation stored in the first storage unit before the firsttransmitter transmits the first identification information.
 4. The powerstorage device management system according to claim 1, wherein theserver device further comprises a deleter configured to deleteidentification information of a specific power storage device from thestorage identification information.
 5. The power storage devicemanagement system according to claim 1, wherein the server devicefurther comprises a decider configured to decide, based on the firstidentification information, an order in which one or more power storagedevices stored in the storage device are provided to the plurality ofusers.
 6. The power storage device management system according to claim5, wherein the decider is configured to decide, in logic according to apreset rule corresponding to the storage device, the order and whichpower storage devices stored in the storage device are providable to theplurality of users.
 7. The power storage device management systemaccording to claim 5, wherein the storage device further comprises astate acquirer configured to acquire state information of each of theplurality of power storage devices, wherein the first transmitter isconfigured to transmit the state information to the server device, andwherein the decider is configured to decide the order based on the stateinformation.
 8. The power storage device management system according toclaim 7, wherein the state information includes at least one of firstinformation indicating a number of times each of the plurality of powerstorage devices have been charged, second information indicating adeterioration state of each of the plurality of power storage devices,and third information indicating a charge rate of each of the pluralityof power storage devices.
 9. The power storage device management systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the determiner is configured to determinethat it is not allowed to store the first power storage device, in afirst case that the first identification information is not included inthe storage identification information, and wherein the determiner isconfigured to determine that it is allowed to store the first powerstorage device, in a second case that the first identificationinformation is included in the storage identification information. 10.The power storage device management system according to claim 9, whereinthe storage device further comprises a provider configured to, after thedeterminer determines that it is allowed to store the first powerstorage device, provide the first user with a second power storagedevice of the plurality of power storage devices, in exchange for thefirst power storage device.
 11. The power storage device managementsystem according to claim 9, wherein the storage device furthercomprises a responder configured to, in a case that the determinerdetermines that it is not allowed to store the first power storagedevice, prohibit providing the first user with a second power storagedevice of the plurality of power storage devices, in exchange for thefirst power storage device received, or notify the first user that it isnot allowed to store the first power storage device.
 12. The powerstorage device management system according to claim 9, wherein thestorage device further comprises a charger configured to charge thefirst power storage device after the determiner determines that it isallowed to store the first power storage device.
 13. The power storagedevice management system according to claim 12, wherein the charger isconfigured to start charging the first power storage device after asecond power storage device of the plurality of power storage devices isprovided to the first user.
 14. The power storage device managementsystem according to claim 12, wherein the charger is configured to startcharging the first power storage device when a quantity of charged powerstorage devices becomes less than a predetermined value.
 15. The powerstorage device management system according to claim 7, wherein the stateacquirer is configured to update the state information at apredetermined time interval, wherein the first transmitter is configuredto transmit the updated state information to the server device, andwherein the decider is configured to update the order when the updatedstate information is received.
 16. A server device communicativelyconnected to a storage device configured to store a plurality of powerstorage devices each being removably mountable on an electric powerdevice using electric power, the server device comprising: a firststorage unit storing storage identification information that includesidentification information of each of one or more sharable power storagedevices of the plurality of power storage devices, the one or moresharable power storage devices being allowed to be shared by a pluralityof users; a receiver configured to receive from the storage device,first identification information of a first power storage device of theplurality of power storage devices, the first identification informationbeing acquired by the storage device when the first power storage deviceis received from a first user; and a determiner configured to determine,based on the first identification information and the storageidentification information, whether or not the first identificationinformation is included in the storage identification information.
 17. Apower storage device management method comprising: when a storage deviceconfigured to store a plurality of power storage devices receives afirst power storage device of the plurality of power storage devicesfrom a first user, acquiring first identification information of thefirst power storage device, each of the plurality of power storagedevices being removably mountable on an electric power device usingelectric power; and determining whether or not the first identificationinformation is included in storage identification information thatincludes identification information of each of one or more sharablepower storage devices of the plurality of power storage devices, the oneor more sharable power storage devices being allowed to be shared by aplurality of users.
 18. A non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium storing instructions executable by a computer to: when a storagedevice configured to store a plurality of power storage devices receivesa first power storage device of the plurality of power storage devicesfrom a first user, acquire first identification information of the firstpower storage device, each of the plurality of power storage devicesbeing removably mountable on an electric power device using electricpower; and determine whether or not the first identification informationis included in storage identification information that includesidentification information of each of one or more sharable power storagedevices of the plurality of power storage devices, the one or moresharable power storage devices being allowed to be shared by a pluralityof users.